📉 Suicides in the EU have fallen by almost 15 percent in ten years

• The suicide rate in the EU fell from 12.2 to 10.4 per 100,000 residents between 2013 and 2023.
• The rate continued to decline between 2022 and 2023, from 10.6 to 10.4 per 100,000.
• The EU is investing more than €1.2 billion in mental health, including teacher training and tools to detect mental distress early.

A decline lasting a decade

Suicides in the EU have fallen steadily over the past ten years. This is shown by the latest figures from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office.

In 2013, the standardised death rate was 12.2 per 100,000 residents. By 2023, it had dropped to 10.4. That is a decrease of almost 15 percent. Between 2022 and 2023, the rate fell from 10.6 to 10.4.

In total, just over 48,000 EU residents died by suicide in 2023.

Large differences between countries

The lowest rate is in Cyprus, at 3.5 per 100,000 residents. Greece follows with 4.3 and Malta with 5.5.

The highest rates are in Lithuania at 18.8 per 100,000, Slovenia at 16.4 and Hungary at 16.1.

Men and older people are most affected

Men account for 76.4 percent of all suicides in the EU. In 2023, the rate was 16.9 per 100,000 men and 5 per 100,000 women. The share of men ranges from 70.2 percent in the Netherlands to 90.3 percent in Malta.

According to Samaritans, a British suicide prevention charity, there is no simple explanation for the difference. Part of it may be that social expectations make men less likely to talk about suicidal thoughts or seek help. Relationship breakdown also increases the risk more for men than for women.

Samaritans stresses that suicide is rarely caused by a single event. It is usually the result of several individual, community and societal factors interacting.

The risk also increases with age. Among people aged 65 and older, the rate was 17.3 per 100,000. Among children under 15, it was 0.2 per 100,000. Men had higher rates in all age groups except among children under 15, where the levels were similar.

The EU is investing in mental health

Since June 2023, the European Commission has strengthened its work on mental health. The Commission links mental health to both social and economic resilience.

Suicide prevention is part of a range of mental health initiatives. They are funded with more than €1.2 billion through the EU4Health, Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ programmes.

The Commission also supports member states with teacher training, peer-support models and tools to detect and respond to mental distress early.

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