Why Suicide Rates Are Dropping Around the World

May 17, 2023

(Wired) – A big chunk of that decrease can be attributed to suicide declines in the two most populous countries in the world. Between 1990 and 2016, suicide rates decreased by 15 percent in India and by over 60 percent in China. A fast-growing Chinese economy resulted in far more people moving from the countryside to more urban areas. This meant that, in addition to more economic stability, they had reduced access to pesticides, a common means of suicide in lower-income countries, especially among young women in rural areas. Banning or limiting access to dangerous pesticides has had astonishing effects in many other Asian countries too. (Read More)