Suicides among students in India touched a record high of 14,488 in 2024, an increase of 4.3 per cent compared to 2023, with the release of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on Wednesday. The overall number of suicides in India saw a 0.4 per cent decrease to 1,70,746 in 2024, from 1,71,418 in 2023.

Despite the decline in overall suicides, the long-term data show a steady upward trend: total suicides increased by 11.6 per cent over five years and almost 28 per cent in the last decade.

The rise in student suicides has, however, been steeper. It increased by 15.7 per cent in the past five years and a significant 62.2 per cent since 2015, when 8,934 students died by suicide. As many as 1,15,850 students have committed suicide in the span of ten years, between 2015 and 2024.

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Suicides among students accounted for 8.5 per cent of total suicides in 2024, up from 8.1 per cent in 2023, 8.2 per cent in 2020 and 6.7 per cent in 2015, suggesting a steady upward trend.

Out of the total students committing suicide in 2024, 7,669 were males and 6,819 females. The most suicides were committed in Maharashtra (13.2 per cent), followed by Uttar Pradesh (10.9 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (10 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (8.9 per cent).

Among students, the majority who committed suicide were those educated up to class 10 (25.6 per cent), followed by class 12 (18.3 per cent) and middle school students (17.7 per cent).

The rise is mainly due to academic pressure, mental health problems and the absence of a strong intervention mechanism and a support system to guide them. Experts felt that a counselling framework needs to be created with timely intervention at the school level, and also raise awareness of helpline numbers to reach students.

Family problems were again found to be the top recorded cause of suicides for 2024, representing 33.5 per cent of all cases. Illness was the second highest cause at 17.9 per cent, while drug/alcohol abuse took the third spot at 7.6 per cent. Failure in examinations was 1.2 per cent, with unemployment at a close 1.5 per cent.

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“We often see exam pressure, cut-throat competition, parental expectations, career worries and social media as major triggers for the rise in students' suicide. Though these triggers certainly matter, in my clinical experience, many students who attempt or die by suicide are battling untreated depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or other deep emotional distress that was never picked up in time. We urgently need early identification, stigma-free counselling and stronger mental health support systems in educational institutions,” HT quoted Dr Om Prakash, professor of psychiatry and deputy medical superintendent, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi.

“Teachers and parents also need greater sensitisation to recognise early signs of distress and create environments where students feel safe seeking help without fear of judgment,” Ganesh Kohli, founder of Mumbai-based International Career and College Counselling (IC3) Movement, said.