The number of suicides in Gujarat increased by 9.2% in 2021 compared to the previous year. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, the state reported 8,050 suicide deaths in 2020; in 2021, the number increased to 8,789 deaths by suicide.
The number of suicides has increased proportionally in both Surat and Ahmedabad, with the former exceeding the four-digit threshold and the latter on the verge of crossing it.
4 major cities account for 1 in 3 suicides
Surat reported the highest number of suicide deaths in the state, both, in terms of absolute numbers and percentage rise. There were 1,059 deaths in the diamond city in 2021, which was 21.9% more than the 869 deaths reported in 2020.
Ahmedabad reported 991 deaths, which were 13.8% more than the 871 suicides reported in 2020. Vadodara reported a 7.4% rise in number of suicides, reporting 290 in 2021 against 270 in 2020. Rajkot was the only major city where suicides actually declined marginally (-1.6%), falling from 433 reported in 2020 to 426 in 2021.
The share of the four major cities in the number of suicides in Gujarat also rose over the past three years, showing that concentration of suicides is more in urban areas. Surat accounted for 12% of all suicides reported in Gujarat in 2021 against 10.3% in 2019. Ahmedabad accounted for 11.2% in 2021, up from 9.9% in 2019. The four major cities together accounted for 31.47% deaths by suicide or almost 1 in every 3 suicides reported in the state in 2021.
Of the 8,789 suicides reported in Gujarat in 2021, 2,465 were most likely caused by family issues, followed by 1,788 by illnesses. Failed love relationships were cited as the cause of death for 635 people. 1,926 suicide deaths, or 22% of all suicides in the state in 2021, have no known causes identified.