1,39,123 people died by suicide in India in 2019

New Delhi, Sep 02: Around five states account for 49.5 per cent of the suicides in India. They are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Last year 1,39,123 people including 41,493 women and 17 transgenders took their own lives. In 2018, the number stood at 1,34,516.

The Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2019 report says that Maharashtra had the highest number of cases at 18,916, followed by Tamil Nadu at 13,493. West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh reported 12,665 and 12,457 cases respectively. Karnataka on the other hand reported 11,288 cases.

Among the cities with a population of more than 10 lakh, Chennai at 1,461 was the highest followed by Delhi at 2,423. Bengaluru and Mumbai reported 2,081 and 1,299 cases respectively. The four cities together reported nearly 36 per cent of the suicides in the country.

Two thirds of the total suicides in the country in 2019 were by those with an annual income less than Rs 1 lakh. The poorest victims were from Tamil Nadu (9,723) followed by West Bengal (9,636), Karnataka (7,029) and Maharashtra (4,521).

In the category of victims with an income of more than Rs 10 lakh per year, West Bengal with 218 cases was the highest. Telangana and Haryana had 180 and 152 cases respectively, while Karnataka reported 24.