Sikkim tops suicide rate chart in country: NCRB report

Gangtok: The picturesque Himalayan state of Sikkim has reported the highest suicide rate per one lakh population in the country, the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) stated.

According to the report, Sikkim registered a 43.1 per cent suicide rate, followed by 42.8 per cent in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 29.7 per cent in Puducherry, 28.5 per cent in Kerala and 28.2 per cent in Chhattisgarh.

The national average was 12.4 per cent, with a total of 1,70,924 suicides reported across the country in 2022.

Sikkim reported 293 suicide cases in 2022, 27 more than 2021, an increase of 10.2 per cent in the suicide rate, according to the report.

A total of 226 men and 67 women died by suicide in Sikkim, with unemployment (83 suicides) being the biggest reason for people taking the extreme step in the Himalayan state last year.

Sikkim has a population of over 6.10 lakh, according to Census 2011.

In the previous two years, Andaman and Nicobar Islands had reported the highest suicide rates in the country, followed by Sikkim.