Number of suicides rises for 2nd year

The number of suicides has increased in the country for two successive years, according to the Statistics Finland.

A total of 824 persons committed suicide in 2017 and the number is 30 more than in the year before and 90 than in 2015.

Despite the development in recent years, suicide mortality has decreased by over 20 per cent in 10 years, by 22 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women.

The number of suicides has decreased relatively evenly since 1990, when more than 1,500 suicides were committed in Finland.

Men’s suicide mortality has decreased more than women’s. However, men still commit clearly more suicides than women. Three out of four persons who committed suicide were men.

During the last 10 years, the decrease in suicide mortality is most clearly visible among middle-aged persons.

In contrast, the suicide mortality among persons under 25 has not decreased in a similar way. The average age of those who committed suicide was 49 for women and 46 for men in 2017. More than 100 persons under 25 committed suicide.