Suicides account for one in every 100 deaths worldwide, according to the WHO.

Suicides represent one death in every 100 in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported with concern on Tuesday (2), which regrets the insufficient progress made against one of the main causes of death among young people.

“Suicide claimed the lives of 727,000 people in 2021 alone,” said Dévora Kestel, director of the Department of Mental Health at the WHO.

In a new report, the organization highlights that suicide is a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts.

Despite efforts on a global scale, progress has been very limited in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG, adopted in 2015), which aims to reduce suicide rates by a third by 2030.

“If the current trend continues, the reduction will be only 12% in five years,” Kestel said.

Globally, the suicide rate decreased by 35% between 2000 and 2021. And it remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite increased risk factors, the report said.

A total of 73% of suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries, where the majority of the world's population lives.

High-income countries have a higher suicide rate, but comparisons are difficult because statistical data production in these countries is more developed than in poor countries, the WHO points out.

Suicide remains a dramatic consequence of some mental health disorders, the WHO said in a statement.

More than a billion people suffer from these disorders, the most common of which are anxiety and depression, a number that is growing faster than the world population, according to the WHO.

The organization expresses particular concern about mental disorders among young people, who have suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic and are more exposed to social media.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most urgent public health challenges,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Mental disorders have significant economic consequences, such as high healthcare costs, but the indirect costs, particularly lost productivity, are even more significant, according to the WHO.

The organization indicates that depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy one trillion dollars a year.

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