According to the report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India lost more people to suicide than Covid-19 in 2020, during the pandemic. The country reported the highest number of suicides in the last 10 years, with more than 1.53 lakh suicides last year, while the coronavirus killed close to 1.49 lakh people, according to data from the union health ministry.

The NCRB data shows that illness was the most common cause behind suicide, while daily wage workers accounted for the largest share of total suicides. In 2020, 37,666 daily wage workers died by suicide, which accounts for one-fourth of total suicides.

Suicide is a personal tragedy that has a profound and lasting impact on families, friends, and communities. In India, more than 1,00,000 people commit suicide every year, and there are various causes, such as professional/career problems, a sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family problems, mental disorders, addiction to alcohol, financial loss, chronic pain, etc. NCRB collects data on suicides from police recorded suicide cases.

In 2020, a total of 1,53,052 suicides were reported in the country, representing a 10.0% increase compared to 2019. The rate of suicides has also increased by 8.7% during 2020 over 2019.