X-ray of suicide in Spain

A report prepared based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) of Spain reveals a worrying trend in the suicide rate in Spain, as well as other revealing information.

The report has been prepared by a team made up of, among others, Víctor Pérez, director of the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona and Professor of Psychiatry at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), José Luis Ayuso, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Mental Health Services at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), and Alejandro de la Torre, from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the Mental Health Network Biomedical Research Center (CIBERSAM), in Spain.

The report was presented publicly at the UCM School of Medicine.

The period covered is from the year 2000 to 2021, and special attention has been devoted to the role played by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the analysis of the data, an increasing trend in suicide mortality in Spain since 2018 can be seen. This trend has crystallized in 2021, where an annual growth of 6% is observed compared to 2018, the year in which a growing cycle begins in the 2000-2021 series. This reflects the strong impact of the pandemic on the increase in suicide mortality in Spain.

In 2021, the population trends seen in previous years are corroborated: a higher rate of deaths by suicide in men and in middle-aged people (40-64 years). Of special interest is the increase in mortality from suicide in people not born in Spain. The mortality rate in Spain is dangerously close to the world average set by the WHO. Provinces of the autonomous communities of Galicia, Andalusia, Castilla y León, Catalonia and Aragon are the ones that have been most affected by suicide mortality, presenting the highest suicide mortality rates in Spain in 2021.

In relation to the two years of the pandemic analyzed (2020 and 2021), a clear effect is seen in the number of deaths by suicide, both in men and women, both in people born in Spain and outside of Spain.

There is a growth of almost 25% in mortality from suicide in migrants, numbers that make this group the most affected by the pandemic. On the other hand, only the group of middle-aged people shows an increase in deaths by suicide during the pandemic. The authors of the study believe that the measures to control the spread of the virus and the collateral consequences of these measures (closure of services at the beginning of the pandemic, social distancing measures, derived economic difficulties, etc.) could be behind this effect. .

Finally, it is the people in large cities and provincial capitals (where the implementation of pandemic control measures has led to a greater disruption of daily life) who have also seen a greater effect of the pandemic on mortality. for suicide.

Press conference in which the report on the evolution of suicide in Spain from 2000 to 2021 was presented. (Photo: UCM / CIBERSAM)

Suicide in Spain during 2021

Eleven people died by suicide per day in Spain in 2021, assuming a crude suicide mortality rate of 8.45 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The figures for 2021 tell us, in line with what was observed in the 2000-2020 time series, that 3 out of 4 people who died by suicide in 2021 were men (specifically, 2,982 cases). Half of the deceased were aged between 40-64 years (specifically, 2,016 people). Regarding the other age groups, 31% of the deceased were 65 years or older, 13.8% were between 25 and 39 years and 5% between 10 and 24 years. No cases of death by suicide were observed in children under 10 years of age during 2021.

In relation to the country of origin, 87% of the people who died by suicide (3,490 people) were born in Spain; the rest (12.7%) were born in other countries. In relation to the place of residence of the deceased, 32% of the deceased lived in provincial capitals. Almost a quarter of the deceased lived in rural areas (municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants) or urban municipalities with between 10,001-50,000 inhabitants (24.6% and 24.7%, respectively). The rest lived in large cities (more than 50,000 inhabitants, not being a provincial capital).

In relation to the temporal and spatial distribution of suicide in Spain in 2021, it can be seen that in practically every month (except January and August) there are a greater number of deaths in 2021 than in 2019 and 2020. Likewise, the same seasonal pattern than in other years: a clear increase in suicide mortality in the summer months. In fact, July is the month with the highest number of deaths in 2021, exceeding 400 deaths by suicide in a single month.

In relation to geographic distribution, the highest rates of mortality from suicide (rates greater than 10 per 10,000 inhabitants) are observed in Galicia (all provinces), in Asturias, Castilla y León (provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos and Ávila), Aragón (Teruel and Huesca), Catalonia (Gerona province) and Andalusia (Córdoba, Jaén, Málaga and Granada provinces).

The provinces with the highest suicide mortality rate in 2021 were Jaén (13.1 per 100,000 inhabitants), Zamora (14.2 per 100,000 inhabitants) and Lugo (15.6 per 100,000 inhabitants).

A total of 26 of the 50 Spanish provinces plus the two autonomous cities (52% of the provinces) exceed the global suicide mortality average, indicated by the World Health Organization for 2019 (9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants). On the other hand, the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and the provinces of Guadalajara and the Community of Madrid, present the lowest rates in the state. (Source: UCM)