Global trends in youth suicide from 1990 to 2020: an analysis of data from the WHO mortality database.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Multi-country observational population time-trend study using registry data
PubMed 38440131 · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102506
What was done
The authors extracted youth mortality data (ages 10–24 years) from 1990 to 2020 (or the most recent available year) from the World Health Organization mortality database for 52 countries with high-quality reporting. They calculated age-standardised suicide rates (ASR) by sex, country, and calendar year, and performed joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant temporal trend changes.
What was found
Male-to-female suicide ratios ranged from 2:1 to 5:1. Most European countries showed declining rates from 1990 to 2020, with Southern Europe reporting the lowest rates (males: Italy 3.1/100,000 in 2020, Spain 3.5/100,000 in 2021; females: Italy 0.9/100,000 in 2020, Romania 1.1/100,000 in 2019). Central-Eastern Europe reported the highest European male rates (Russian Federation: 10.2/100,000 in 2019; Poland: 10.0/100,000 in 2002). In contrast, significant increases occurred in the United Kingdom, with annual rises of 2.5% (95% CI: 1.6–3.5) since 2005 for males and 8.5% (95% CI: 4.7–12.6) since 2012 for females. Non-European regions showed higher overall rates and notable increases; the United States had the highest male ASR at 15.5/100,000, with annual rises of 3.8% (95% CI: 3.1–4.5) among males in 2009–2020 and 6.7% (95% CI: 5.6–7.8) among females in 2007–2017 before levelling off.
Why it matters
This study documents diverging global trajectories in youth suicide, identifying steep recent increases in the United States and the United Kingdom despite general declines across continental Europe.
Limits
Data were restricted to 52 countries with high-quality registry records, leaving most low- and middle-income countries unrepresented. Findings are subject to potential misclassification or under-reporting of suicide deaths across jurisdictions, and the ecological design prevents evaluation of individual-level risk factors.
Cited by
- supports Suicide rates are higher among men than women.