India's Annual Rate of Student Suicides Surges to 4%, Surpassing the Country's Average

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) research, the number of student suicides in India is alarmingly higher than both the country's population growth rate and general suicide tendencies.

Based on information from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the report "Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India" was released on Wednesday at the Annual IC3 Conference and Expo 2024.

The research emphasizes how student suicide cases have climbed by 4% annually, despite the fact that the overall suicide rate has increased by 2% annually. Even though there may be "underreporting" in the statistics on student suicide, this increase is noteworthy.

“Over the past two decades, student suicides have grown at an alarming annual rate of 4 percent, double the national average. In 2022, male students constituted 53 percent of the total student suicides. Between 2021 and 2022, male student suicides decreased by 6 percent while female student suicides increased by 7 percent,” noted the report compiled by IC3 Institute.

According to the report, “The incidence of student suicides continues to surpass both population growth rates and overall suicide trends. Over the last decade, while the population of 0-24-year-olds reduced from 582 million to 581 million, the number of student suicides increased from 6,654 to 13,044.”

According to the survey, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra have the highest rates of student suicides—together accounting for one-third of all cases across the country. 29 percent of these cases are from Southern states and Union Territories, with Rajasthan, which is renowned for its extremely competitive academic environment, coming in at rank 10. This demonstrates the intense pressure found in coaching facilities such as those in Kota.

The decriminalization of suicide attempts for people with mental illness under the 2017 Mental Healthcare Act did not completely eliminate the impact of criminalization on reporting behaviors. Moreover, substantial variations in statistics are caused by insufficient procedures for gathering data, particularly in rural regions where reporting is less trustworthy than in cities.

The report underscores the urgent need to address mental health issues in educational settings, as noted by IC3 Movement founder Ganesh Kohli.

“Our educational focus must shift to fostering the competencies of our learners such that it supports their overall well-being, versus pushing them to compete amongst each other. It is imperative that we build a systematic, comprehensive, and robust career and college counseling system within each institution, while seamlessly integrating the same within the learning curriculum,” he stated.

The report also revealed a notable increase in student suicides, with a 50 percent increase in male suicides and a 61 percent increase in female suicides over the past ten years.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)