Suicide continues to devastate India’s younger generations. Of the 170,924 suicides recorded in 2022, 41% were individuals under 30, making it the #1 cause of death for ages 15–29, surpassing diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Despite the staggering statistics, public conversation around suicide remains mired in stigma, denial, and inadequate policy response.
With the youth forming over 65% of India’s population, each loss resonates far beyond the personal tragedy. Experts from mental health, public policy, and education emphasise the need for a nationwide, multifactorial suicide prevention strategy. From academic stress and unemployment to family conflict and cyberbullying, the drivers of this epidemic are deeply embedded in Indian society.
Suicide Among Young Indians
India accounts for 17.8% of the world’s population but nearly 28% of global suicides, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). A landmark 2018 study in The Lancet Public Health confirmed that suicide was already the leading cause of death among Indian youth aged 15–39 by 2016, a trend that has only worsened since.
Recent NCRB data from 2022 records 170,924 suicides across India, of which 41% were among people under 30. In contrast, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, long seen as the top killers, claim a smaller share in this age group.
Dr Vikram Patel, a globally recognised psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, states, “Suicide in young people is often the outcome of extreme psychological stressors interacting with a lack of timely support. It is preventable, but only if we stop treating it as taboo.”
According to The Economic Times (2025), a report revealed that suicide accounts for 17.1% of all deaths in ages 15–29, up from 15.8% in 2004–06. In 2022, young adults aged 18–30 made up over 35% of all suicides. These consistent trends confirm that suicide has overtaken chronic illnesses as the top threat to young Indian lives.
Academic Pressure And The “Exam Culture”
The educational landscape in India, particularly the obsession with high-stakes entrance exams, has contributed significantly to youth suicides. In 2022, over 13,000 student suicides were recorded, with at least 2,248 directly linked to exam-related failure. Institutions like the IITs have reported a string of such cases, with students succumbing to intense competition and psychological isolation.
Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of the Chennai-based suicide prevention NGO SNEHA and member of the WHO’s International Network for Suicide Prevention, explains, “The academic culture in India often equates failure with personal worthlessness. The shame associated with underperformance leads to complete emotional breakdowns in some students.”
Tamil Nadu’s decision to introduce supplementary exams and counselling programs significantly reduced exam-related suicides, offering a model for other states.
In 2023, 23 student suicides were recorded in Kota, followed by 17 in 2024 and 6 more in January 2025 alone. In March 2025, a nationwide survey revealed that 12% of college students experienced suicidal ideation in the previous year and 5% had attempted suicide. These statistics reveal the continued psychological harm caused by India’s exam pressure.
Family Conflicts And Dowry Harassment
According to the NCRB, “family problems” were cited as the motive in over 32% of suicides among people aged 18–30. For young women, dowry-related abuse remains a persistent issue. In 2022 alone, thousands of cases were filed under Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code for dowry deaths, where a woman dies within seven years of marriage under suspicious or violent circumstances.
A report by the Centre for Social Research highlights that 93% of suicides due to dowry pressure involve women. Activist and lawyer Vrinda Grover explains: “The family is meant to be a support system. But in many cases, especially for young brides, it becomes a site of control, economic extraction, and violence. When there’s no escape, suicide becomes the final resort.”
In July 2025, 20-year-old Saurabh Singh was found hanged at his girlfriend’s house after the couple’s relationship faced parental opposition. In another case, a 17-year-old girl and her 21-year-old partner in Delhi died in a suspected suicide pact following family pressure.
Institutional Failures And Bullying
From elite engineering institutes to private coaching centres, institutional failures have contributed to young people’s mental deterioration. In 2024, Jyoti Sharma, a dental student from Sharda University, left a note accusing professors of “mental harassment.”
Her case is not unique. Multiple suicides in IIT Kharagpur and Kota coaching centres have revealed patterns of institutional neglect, bullying, and poor mental health infrastructure.
Psychologist and researcher Dr Soumitra Pathare of the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy states, “Many institutions lack trained counsellors or clear redressal mechanisms. Worse, stigma around seeking help discourages students from coming forward.”
Though some campuses have introduced anti-suicide nets or helplines, these often remain token gestures without broader systemic reform.
In February 2025, 20-year-old Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal died by suicide at KIIT, Odisha, leading to national outrage and backlash against the administration. In July 2025, a Balasore college student set herself ablaze following alleged faculty harassment. A UGC panel is now investigating the case.
Economic Hardship, Joblessness, And The Burden Of Masculinity
Financial distress is another major driver of youth suicide, particularly among men. The NCRB reported that in 2022, daily wage earners formed the single largest occupational group among suicide victims, over 45,000 cases. Young people face dwindling job opportunities, inflation, and rising educational debts. In rural areas, crop failures and mounting loans compound despair.
Dr A. Sekhar, psychiatrist and member of the Indian Psychiatric Society, explains, “There’s enormous societal pressure on young men to be providers. When they can’t find work or fall into debt, the shame and stress become unbearable.” The 2024 suicide of 29-year-old police officer Jaydeep Patel in Gujarat reportedly involved such financial anxiety, intensified by personal obligations like an upcoming marriage.
In July 2025, a family of five in Nalanda, Bihar, attempted suicide by ingesting pesticide over ₹500,000 debt; two daughters, aged 8 and 11, died. These tragedies highlight how financial pressure affects entire families, not just individuals.
Cyberbullying, Identity Crises, And Societal Intolerance
Modern digital culture has added a new layer of vulnerability. The rise in cyberbullying, especially targeting sexual orientation, body image, and caste identity, has been linked to many suicides.
In 2023, 16-year-old Pranshu Yadav from Ujjain died by suicide after receiving thousands of hateful comments for posting a video in a saree. He was LGBTQ+, and his death became a symbol of online cruelty and societal rejection.
According to UNICEF’s 2022 report, about one in three children in India faces online bullying. Psychiatrist Dr Gorav Gupta emphasises, “Cyberbullying leaves no safe space for the victim. The emotional toll is immense, particularly when they already feel marginalised.”
In July 2025, a 13-year-old in Karnataka died by suicide after being forced into a boarding school he didn’t want. In May 2025, an 18-year-old girl in Maharashtra took her life after her family opposed her romantic relationship. These incidents also question the parenting techniques and excessive hold of parents over kids’ decisions, even when they’ve grown up to adulthood. The growing impact of familial and social rejection on youth mental health is massive.
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Policy Promises Vs. Ground Realities
While India has taken initial steps toward suicide prevention, the implementation remains inconsistent and underfunded. In 2020, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the KIRAN mental health helpline (1800-599-0019), a 24/7 service available in 13 languages.
However, a 2023 IndiaSpend investigation revealed that the helpline handled only around 14,000 calls monthly, an inadequate reach for a country with over 250 million youth.
Further, India still lacks a dedicated National Suicide Prevention Strategy, despite repeated recommendations from bodies like the WHO and the Mental Health Policy Group. Several state governments have made piecemeal efforts:
- Tamil Nadu launched student counselling centres in schools post-exam seasons, which reportedly led to a 15% dip in exam-related suicides by 2024.
- Maharashtra introduced a program to train schoolteachers in basic mental health first aid.
- In Rajasthan, following the Kota suicide crisis, authorities mandated a 1-week “mental health break” for coaching students, but reports in 2025 suggest that enforcement has been patchy.
According to Dr Soumitra Pathare, “We need structural, not symbolic interventions. More funding, trained professionals, and real accountability from schools, colleges, and workplaces.”
State-Level Data Shows Stark Contrasts
State-wise data paints a worrying picture of geographic disparities:
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh consistently report the highest number of suicides. In 2022, Maharashtra alone recorded over 22,000 suicides, with youth accounting for nearly 40% of those deaths.
- Rajasthan saw over 30 student suicides in Kota alone in 2023–24, underlining the pressures in its coaching hub.
- Southern states like Kerala and Andhra Pradesh report relatively high suicide rates per capita, despite better health infrastructure, pointing toward the role of academic and family pressure.
- Bihar and Uttar Pradesh report lower suicide rates, but experts warn this could be due to underreporting and cultural stigma rather than actual prevalence.
A 2025 survey by the Centre for Mental Health and Law noted that suicide prevention initiatives are “largely urban-centric,” with rural and tribal youth being left out of most mental health outreach programs.
A National Emergency Demanding Urgent Action
Suicide is not just a personal tragedy; it is a public health emergency. India loses nearly 47 young people to suicide every single day. Behind each statistic is a story of anguish, social failure, and systemic neglect. The good news is that suicide is preventable.
Interventions like school-based mental health education, better counselling access, destigmatisation campaigns, and regulation of lethal means (like pesticides and access to tall buildings) have shown success globally.
Experts from The Lancet and WHO strongly advocate for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy tailored to India’s regional needs. This includes more mental health funding, state-level crisis helplines, teacher training, and a shift in cultural narratives around failure and help-seeking.
As activist Vidya Ramesh put it, “Every suicide is a moment where society failed someone. We need to stop asking why they did it and start asking what we could have done.”
To save its youth, India must act now with compassion, science, and urgency.
Images: Google Images
Sources: The Economic Times, Times of India, NDTV
Find the blogger: Katyayani Joshi
This post is tagged under: youth suicide India, mental health awareness, suicide prevention, student mental health, academic pressure, exam stress, family pressure, dowry deaths, cyberbullying India, joblessness crisis, male mental health, LGBTQ youth India, India mental health crisis, NCRB suicide data, Indian education reform, prevent suicide, mental health India, mental health support, break the stigma, save young lives
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