epidemiology of suicide epidemiology of suicide an estimated 1 million people worldwide die by suicide every year. globally, suicide ranks among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15–44 years. attempted suicides are up to 20 times more frequent than completed ones. suicide mortality rates per 100,000 inhabitants in 2012. no data less than 2.5 2.5-5 5-7.5 7.5-10 10-12.5 12.5-15 15-17.5 17.5-20 20-22.5 22.5-25 25-27.5 more than 27.5 suicide-deaths-per-100000-trend suicide vs violent deaths 2016 incidence of suicide in a society depends on a range of factors. clinical depression is an especially common cause. bullying can also drive people to suicide, as it increases social isolation. substance abuse and severe physical disease or infirmity are also recognized as causes. the eastern europe and east asia regions have the highest suicide rate worldwide. the region with the lowest suicide rate is the caribbean, followed by the middle east. differences in suicide rates between genders are prominent, with males dying by suicide at a higher rate in almost every country in the world. however, females of all age groups tend to show higher rates of reported nonfatal suicidal behaviors. overview in most countries the incidence of suicides is higher than the incidence of intentional homicides. more people die of suicide than die of war and murder. a 2006 report by the world health organization (who) states that nearly a million people take their own lives every year, more than those murdered or killed in war. who figures show a suicide takes place somewhere in the world roughly every 40 seconds. according to the national institute of mental health, suicide contagion is a serious problem, especially for young people. suicide can be facilitated in vulnerable teens by exposure to real or fictional accounts of suicide, including media coverage of suicide, such as intensive reporting of the suicide of a celebrity or idol. by country share of deaths from suicide, 2017 suicide rates are highest in europe's baltic states, where around 40 people per 100,000 die by suicide each year. the lowest rates are found mainly in caribbean/west indies nations and a few countries in asia. more than 30,000 people die by suicide in russia every year; more than 40,000 people die by suicide each year in the united states; over 30,000 kill themselves in japan; and about 250,000 die by suicide each year in china. in western countries men die by suicide at four times the rate of women. women are more likely to attempt suicide than men. the countries of the former soviet bloc have the highest suicide rate in the world. rate of suicide in south korea is the highest among any other east asian countries. the region with the lowest suicide rate is latin america. china is the only country in the world where the rate of suicide by women matches that of men, with statistics even showing a slightly higher number of female cases. between 1999 and 2006, in the united states, suicide was the third leading cause of death in adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, and the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14 years. as of 2011, suicide increased in this age group, becoming the second cause of death for youth between the ages of 15 and 24 years, below homicide statistics and above those of accidents. geographically within the united states, western states have higher rates of suicide. per 100,000 people, montana is ranked first, alaska ranked second, and wyoming is third. there may be a link between these states and firearm regulations, which make access to guns easier, as statistics show firearm suicides in states with the highest rates of gun ownership are 3.7 times higher for men, and 7.9 times higher for women. these are often rural areas without heavily populated urban communities (which brings social pressure stressors), but may indicate a lack of accessibility to medical and psychological health assistance in these remote areas. sex suicide rates per 100,000 males (left) and females (right). 0 – 5 5 – 10 10 – 15 15 – 25 25 – 35 above 35 no data in the united states, males are four times more likely to die by suicide than females, although more women than men report suicide attempts and self-harm with suicidal intentions. male suicide rates are far higher than females in all age groups (the ratio varies from 3:1 to 10:1). in other western countries, males are also much more likely to die by suicide than females (usually by a factor of 3–4:1). it was the 8th leading cause of death for males, and 19th leading cause of death for females. u.s. suicides by age, gender, and racial or ethnic group, 1999–2005. data from the cdc. racial and ethnic groups defined by the u.s. office of management and budget. excess male mortality from suicide is generally lower in non-western nations. in eight countries, including china with about one-fifth of the world population, the rate of male mortality from suicide is lower than that for females, with females more likely to die by suicide by a factor of 1.3–1.6 united states suicide rates for white men and for white women, by health service area (1988–1992). both maps use same color scale: note the large difference in rates between men and women. the regional patterns for men and women were similar, but not the same. race and sexual orientation