Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Statistical Office in Brussels said that in 2021, there were 47,346 deaths due to suicide in the European Union, which is equivalent to 0.9% of the total deaths reported that year. This is equivalent to an average of 10.2 deaths per 100,000 people.
Compared to 2011, the first year for which data is available, the number of deaths due to suicide decreased by 13.3% (a decrease of 7,277 deaths). In 2011, the standardized death rate due to suicide in the European Union was 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people. The publication of these figures coincides with the celebration of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.
Slovenia has the highest suicide rate, Cyprus the lowest
Among EU countries, Slovenia had the highest suicide rate in 2021 with 19.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Lithuania (19.5) and Hungary (15.7).
At the other end of the scale, Cyprus had the lowest standardized suicide mortality rate (2.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), ahead of Greece (4.2) and Italy (5.9).
When looking at regional data (NUTS2), the Limousin region in France had the highest standardized suicide mortality rate with 21.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. This was followed by the Del Alvold region in Hungary (21.7) and the Vozdona region in Slovenia (21.6). In contrast, the regions with the lowest suicide mortality rates were Forio-Aigaio in Greece (1.5), Mayotte in France (1.8) and Cyprus (2.7).

Men are more likely to commit suicide than women
As in previous years, the suicide rate was higher among men than women, with men accounting for 76.7% of all suicide deaths.
The highest number of suicide deaths in the EU was recorded in the 45-64 age group, with 17,441 deaths, representing 37% of the total. This was closely followed by the 65+ age group, with 15,998 deaths, representing 34% of the total.