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Suicide-Related Mortality Trends in Europe, 2012–2021

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Listed:
  • Marco Zuin

    (Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
    Department of Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, 35137 Padua, Italy)

  • Diego de Leo

    (Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research, Primorska University, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
    Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane 4122, Australia)

Abstract

Aims: Updated data regarding the suicide-related mortality trend in Europe remain scant. We assess the age- and sex-specific trends in suicide-related mortality in the European states (EU) between the years 2012 and 2021. Methods: We retrieved data on cause-specific deaths and population numbers by sex for European countries from the publicly available EUROSTAT mortality dataset for the years 2012–2021. This study was chosen because 2012 was the first year with complete uninterrupted suicide mortality data for all EU member states, while 2021 was the most recent year with confirmed estimates in the EUROSTAT database. Suicide-related deaths were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes X60–X84 and Y870 as the underlying cause of death. We calculated annual trends by assessing the average annual percentage change (AAPC) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using joinpoint regression. Results: During the study period, there were 391,555 suicide-related deaths in Europe (313,835 men and 77,720 women). The age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) decreased linearly from 12.3 (95% CI: 12.0 to 12.6) per 100,000 people in 2012 to 10.2 (95% CI: 10.0 to 10.5) per 100,000 people in 2021 [AAPC: −2.3% (95% CI: −2.9 to −1.8); p < 0.001]. This decline was more pronounced among men [AAPC: −2.4% (95% CI: −2.9 to −2.0), p < 0.001] compared to women [AAPC: −1.9% (95% CI: −2.7 to −1.0), p < 0.001] ( p for parallelism = 0.003). A more significant decrease was observed in individuals under 65 years compared to older individuals ( p for parallelism = 0.001). Some EU subregions and demographic groups showed stagnation in suicide-related mortality rates. Conclusions: Over the past decade, age-adjusted suicide-related mortality has declined in Europe, particularly among males and individuals under 65 years old. However, disparities persist between countries and EU subregions.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Zuin & Diego de Leo, 2025. "Suicide-Related Mortality Trends in Europe, 2012–2021," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(6), pages 1-11, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:6:p:890-:d:1670569
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hyune-Ju Kim & Michael P. Fay & Binbing Yu & Michael J. Barrett & Eric J. Feuer, 2004. "Comparability of Segmented Line Regression Models," Biometrics, The International Biometric Society, vol. 60(4), pages 1005-1014, December.
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