Sovereign rows of the IHME “Suicide death rate per 100,000 population (all ages, both sexes)” series via Our World in Data. Top 30 by most recent year. Aggregates excluded.
Chart ready. Press play to start.
How to use this chart
Play/Pause starts and stops the year-by-year animation, the year slider jumps to any year, and the speed selector (0.5×, 1×, 2×) changes playback speed. Each year shows the top 12 entries out of the 30 held in the dataset.
About this ranking
About this metric. “Suicide Rate by Country (Time Series)” reformats data published by Our World in Data (mostly re-published World Bank / UN public statistics) (OWID Grapher slug “suicide-rates-by-country”). Values are expressed in per 100,000 population.
What to watch. The most striking movement is the steep improvement across former Soviet states after 2000, once home to the world’s highest rates. The United States moving the other way over the same years shows how loosely wealth and suicide rates are connected.
Caveats. These are IHME model estimates and can differ from national vital statistics. Certification and reporting practices vary with legal and religious context — some countries under-record suicide — so treat small rank differences with particular care.
If you need support
This page presents official statistics. If you are struggling or worried about someone, please reach out — help is available. Find a Helpline lists crisis services by country. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare maintains a directory of phone and chat services: Mamorou yo Kokoro.
Trends in the data
The top of this table turned over completely in 21 years. In 2000 the leaders were all post-Soviet states: Russia at 52.72, Lithuania 50.51, Belarus 39.37, Ukraine 36.08 and Latvia 34.76. In 2021 the leaders are Lesotho at 30.44, South Korea 27.50, Eswatini 27.47, Nauru 25.66 and Guyana 25.14. The post-Soviet group has fallen to 10th (Russia), 7th (Lithuania), 26th (Belarus), 29th (Latvia) and 30th (Estonia).
The size of that improvement is clear in the declines. Russia fell 31.36 (52.72 → 21.36, 0.41×), Lithuania 28.23 (0.44×), Belarus 23.65 (0.40×) and Latvia 19.37 (0.44×) — each more than halving in 21 years. Economic stability and alcohol policy are the reasons usually given. The improvement in these four countries alone pulls the 30-country average down substantially.
Countries moving the other way are equally clear. Lesotho rose from 12.84 to 30.44, 2.37×, climbing from 26th to 1st; Eswatini from 12.25 to 27.47, 2.24×, 27th to 3rd; South Korea from 14.97 to 27.50, 1.84×, 24th to 2nd; and South Africa from 13.37 to 22.27, 1.67×, 25th to 8th. Four countries that sat in the bottom group in 2000 have all moved to the top. Within a single table, some countries fall while others rise in exactly the opposite direction.
Overall the level came down and the spread narrowed with it. The 30-country average fell from 23.73 in 2000 to 19.82 in 2021, and the gap between top and bottom from 41.69 to 15.53, close to a third. Japan ranks 18th among these 30. Note that this data consists of IHME estimates and differs from national reported statistics; conventions for classifying and reporting suicide vary widely between countries, so small differences in rank should be interpreted with care.
Trivia quiz
In what unit is the suicide rate usually compared across countries?
Per 100,000 population, compiled and estimated by bodies such as the WHO and IHME. (Source)
What is the international awareness day for suicide prevention, and which body promotes it?
World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, promoted by the WHO with the International Association for Suicide Prevention. (Source)
Beyond country differences, what broad factors do public-health bodies link to suicide risk?
Mental-health conditions, economic hardship and social isolation, among others — which is why prevention policy spans many sectors. (Source)
Source
IHME via Our World in Data — Suicide rate per 100,000 population