Rajasthan’s Kota has earned the dubious distinction of being the ‘student suicide capital’ of India. However, an analysis of official data reveals that several states across the country reported more student suicides than those seen in Rajasthan during the 10-year period between 2013 and 2022.
An analysis of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, between 2013 and the latest available report of 2022, shows that India lost a total of 1.03 lakh young minds to suicide. This included 55,842 men or boys and 48,116 women or girls.
Among women, students ranked second in suicide after housewives. And, while the gap between men and women is wide in overall suicide, among students, it is much narrower.
Across India, 14.22 lakh suicides were reported between 2013 and 2022 and women accounted for 4.33 lakh cases – nearly 30 percent. Among the student population, women make up more than 46 percent of suicide deaths.
In 2022, a total of 48,172 women died by suicide in India and the largest share was housewives (25,309), followed by students (6,113) and daily wage earners (3,752).
But for men the situation is different. In 2022, 1.22 lakh males died by suicide and daily wage earners (41,433) contributed the most, followed by self-employed persons (18,357) and professional/salaried persons (14,395). 6,930 male students died by suicide.
In 2013, 8,423 students died by suicide across India, including 4,634 males and 3,789 females. By 2022, the number of student suicides increased by nearly 55 percent to 13,044. In the case of women, the jump was higher – 61 percent to 6,113 – while there was a 50 percent increase in male student suicides to 6,930 in 2022. Against the average of 23 student suicides per day in 2013, the average daily crime rate has increased to approximately 36 deaths per day by 2022.
As of 2018, the number of student suicides has exceeded 10,000 each year. 38,659 students died by suicide between 2020 and 2022 – about 35 a day.
An analysis of the 2022 data also revealed that the suicide rate of female students is higher than that of males in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh while in other states, male students commit suicide more than female students.
Maharashtra is at the top since 2013
Maharashtra has been the state with the highest number of student suicides. The state has reported more than 1,000 cases since 2013. Until 2019, it was the only state to report more than 1,000 student suicides annually but, in 2020, it was joined by Madhya Pradesh (1,158) and Odisha (1,469).
In 2021, Odisha reported a significant drop in student suicides at 834 but that year Tamil Nadu (1,246) registered a significant jump in these cases.
In 2022, while Maharashtra continued to be at the top with 1,764 deaths, Tamil Nadu was second with 1,416 cases and Madhya Pradesh was third with 1,340 suicides. Uttar Pradesh has also joined the list of 1,000-plus deaths with 1,060 cases registered in 2022.
Rajasthan was at the bottom of the list with 571 suicides in 2022. Also, Lakshadweep is the only place in India that did not register student suicides in 2022.
The analysis also shows that over the years, West Bengal has seen a significant improvement in numbers from 788 cases in 2013 to 354 in 2022 – more than half. Although less significant, Andhra Pradesh also dropped from 719 in 2013 to 575 in 2022.
On the other hand, Jharkhand reported an unusually high jump in student suicide cases – from 150 in 2013 to 138 in 2018 and 360 in 2018 to 824 cases in 2022. In Madhya Pradesh too, cases almost doubled between 2013 and 2022 – 667 to 1,340.
In 2022, Kota reported 15 student suicides and the number rose to 30 in 2023. This year, this number has reached 20.
Two suicide cases have been reported in Kota this week alone. A Class 10 student allegedly committed suicide due to being expelled from school, while a National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant from Uttar Pradesh took his own life in Kota.
If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helpline numbers: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832546669 ) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-6464326 (Kochi)
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