Countries Around the World, Ranked by Suicide Rate

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death around the world, attributing to one in every 100 deaths. Which countries suffer the most from this mental health epidemic, and which countries have taken action to lessen the suicide rate among their populations? The team at NYRequirements.com created a ranked list of countries by suicide rate to find the answer. The following suicide rates of countries are estimated by WHO and other health organizations as the true rate of suicides is often under-reported due to the stigma surrounding it in many countries. Deaths caused by suicide need to be recognized and treated as a public health problem that affects many people; research has shown that offering support to those in distress is necessary to reduce suicide rates around the world.

The 183 countries listed below have been ranked on their overall suicide rate, but you’ll find that we have also highlighted the 10 countries with the highest male suicide rates and the 10 countries with the highest female suicide rates. Are you surprised to see such high suicide rates in countries around the world?

Click here to download the printable PDF version of the chart.

What Country Has the Highest Suicide Rate?

The country with the highest rate of suicide is Lesotho with an overall suicide rate of 87.5 deaths for every 100,000 people that make up the country’s population. Lesotho ranks number one in the world for both male suicide rates and female suicide rates. The suicide rate for males in Lesotho is far higher than in other countries at 146.9 suicides per 100,000 people; the female suicide rate in Lesotho is one-fifth as much at 34.6 suicides per 100,000. Why is the highest suicide rate in Lesotho? Factors like grief and loss from AIDS, low employment, and decades of poverty have taken their toll on the mental health of Lesotho residents. Additionally, Lesotho has a severe social stigma of getting help for depression, leaving residents to suffer in silence or choose to take their own life. Below you’ll find the top 10 suicidal countries in the world based on their suicide rate per 100,000 people.

The 10 Countries With the Highest Suicide Rates per 100,000 Population

1. Lesotho: 87.5

2. Guyana?: 40.9

3. Eswatini: 40.5

4. Kiribati: 30.6

5. Micronesia: 29

6. Suriname: 25.9

7. Zimbabwe: 23.6

8. South Africa: 23.5

9. Mozambique?: 23.2

10. Central African Republic: 23

What Country Has the Lowest Suicide Rate?

Two countries tied for the lowest suicide rates in the world; Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda both had low suicide rates of just 0.3 suicides per 100,000 people in the population. Only one other country had a suicide rate that fell under 1, Granada ranked third on the list with a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000. The suicide rates of countries in the Caribbean were found to be among the lowest in the world.

The 10 Countries With Lowest Suicide Rates per 100,000 population

1. Barbados: 0.3

2. Antigua and Barbuda: 0.3

3. Grenada: 0.6

4. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 1

5. Jordan: 2

6. Venezuela: 2.1

7. Syria: 2.1

8. São Tomé and Príncipe: 2.2

9. Turkey2.3

10. Jamaica: 2.3

Are Suicide Rates Increasing?

The number of suicides around the world has been on the decline in many countries since 2000. The declining suicide rates can be attributed to an increase in awareness, improved mental health treatments, as well as restricting some of the more common methods of suicide over the years. These restrictions can be as simple as enacting more gun control laws or reducing access to dangerous pesticides that have commonly been used to commit suicide in lower-income countries. Even as suicide rates are declining in many countries around the world, other countries still need to recognize suicide as a public health problem and take the proper actions to prevent it.

Has the suicide rate in America declined as well? Unfortunately, the U.S. suicide rate has started to increase again after declining in 2019 and 2020. The number of suicide deaths in 2022 was the highest recorded, many of which were gun-related suicides. Gun control laws play a large part in reducing suicide rates, and U.S. residents have the world’s highest rate of firearms by a large margin.

What is a Suicide Attempt an Indicator Of?

Did you know that a child attempting suicide can be a behavioral indicator of emotional maltreatment or sexual abuse? Self-injurious behaviors like suicide or self-mutilation can indicate that something isn’t right at home or elsewhere in the child’s life. Learn how to recognize the signs of child abuse and maltreatment/neglect with our New York Mandated Reporting Training course which follows the required curriculum and materials in the mandated reporter trainer’s resource guide.