Highest Suicide Rates by Country

Data

Note: Understanding the Countries with the Highest Suicide Rates, and What Can Be Done

This topic concerns a serious public health issue, so it deserves care. The rates shown measure age-standardized suicide deaths per 100,000 people per year, which adjusts for differences in population age structure and allows countries to be compared fairly. Data comes from WHO estimates for 2021. Behind every figure is a person in distress, and the good news is that suicide is preventable with the right support systems.

Which Countries Lead the List

Lesotho had the highest rate in 2021 at 28.7 per 100,000, followed by Eswatini at 27.2. Guyana and Uruguay were tied for third at 24.8, the highest rates in the Americas. The top ten also includes Suriname and South Africa at 22.3, Lithuania at 22.1, Russia at 21.4, Ukraine at 21.2, and South Korea at 20.6, the highest in Asia.

• Southern Africa features strongly, with Lesotho, Eswatini, and South Africa all in the top six.
• Eastern Europe is heavily represented, with Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine among the leaders.
• Guyana and Suriname stand out as the only smaller Caribbean and South American nations at the top.
• South Korea is the sole East Asian country in the top ten, despite having some of the world's lowest rates among older adults.

What Drives High Rates

Research points to a mix of risk factors that vary by region: untreated mental health conditions such as depression; limited access to mental health services; economic stress, unemployment, and debt; alcohol and substance use; social isolation; stigma that discourages people from seeking help; and, in some regions, the easy availability of toxic pesticides or other means. In southern Africa, overlapping epidemics of poverty, HIV-related grief and stigma, and weak mental health infrastructure play a role. In Eastern Europe, post-transition economic hardship, heavy alcohol consumption, and underfunded care systems are commonly cited. In South Korea, intense academic and workplace pressure combined with social stigma around mental illness contribute to elevated rates among young and middle-aged adults.

What Is Known to Help

Suicide prevention works when multiple layers act together. Community-level interventions that reduce stigma and teach people to recognize warning signs can encourage earlier help-seeking. Relying on crisis hotlines, better access to mental health care, and follow-up support after someone expresses suicidal thoughts all save lives. Restricting access to means, such as safer pesticide storage or bridge barriers, has produced measurable drops in many countries. Postvention, supporting people bereaved by suicide, also reduces the risk of further deaths among the grieving.

How to Read These Numbers Cautiously

Rates can be affected by how deaths are recorded and reported, so international comparisons carry uncertainty. In many low and middle income countries, suicide may be undercounted because of stigma, legal consequences, or weak death registration systems; the true rate may be higher than reported. In some countries, cultural and religious views can lead to misclassification of suicide deaths as accidents.

Fun Facts

• Suicide rates are generally several times higher among men than women in almost every country, though attempts are more common among women.
• Globally, the WHO estimates roughly one suicide occurs every 40 seconds, with more deaths each year than from war and homicide combined.
• Lithuania's rate has fallen substantially from its peaks in the 1990s and early 2000s, when it was frequently the highest in the world.
• South Korea's high overall rate coexists with one of the lowest suicide rates in the world among people over 65.
• Uruguay's rate is unusual for Latin America, where most countries sit below the global average.
• Micronesia and the Solomon Islands, at 19.8 and 19.6, are among the few Pacific island states with such elevated figures.
• Most people who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of death, yet the majority never receive treatment.
• Talking about suicide does not plant the idea; asking someone directly about suicidal thoughts is widely regarded as protective rather than harmful.