NCZI: Number of Suicides Down Last Year, Men More Likely to Kill Themselves

Bratislava, 21 June (TASR) - The number of suicides committed in Slovakia last year totalled 467, down by 34 when compared to 2023, according to data published by the National Health Information Centre (NCZI). As many as 84.6 percent of suicides were committed by men, significantly higher those among women (15.4 percent). The number of suicide attempts increased year-on-year (y-o-y) by 130 cases. There were 808 of them in 2024 in total, with 376 made by men and 432 by women. When considering the population size in a given age category, young people aged between 15-19 were the most likely to attempt suicide. "From the long-term viewpoint, this was the second-lowest number of suicides seen since 2001, when the number amounted to 466," specified NCZI. Suicides were mainly committed by seniors older than 70 (99 cases), followed by people aged between 40-49 (92 cases) and 50-59 years (85 cases). Two children under the age of 14 and 11 teenagers aged between 15-19 also ended their lives by suicide. The most common method of suicide was hanging, strangulation or suffocation (283 cases). This was followed by jumping from a height (61), shooting (45), stabbing or cutting (22), and jumping or lying down in front of a moving object (21). Almost a third of suicides (32.1 percent) were committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The highest number of suicides were reported in October (54 cases) and August (45 cases). Suicide attempts were chiefly motivated by conflicts and family problems (42.3 percent), other internal personal conflicts and problems (18.6 percent), and conflicts and existential problems (14 percent). Finally, 9.2 percent of suicide attempts were made without any clear motivation (including psychotic ones). ko/df