New Delhi, Aug 29 (EFE).- The rate of suicides in India has recorded an alarming increase anually, especially among students, and has surpassed population growth rate of the Asian country, according to official data and a report presented at the Annual IC3 Conference and Expo 2024.
Academic pressure, ubiquitous in the Indian education system, stands as one of the main triggers of student suicides, according to the report titled “Student suicides: An epidemic sweeping India.”
“Over the past two decades, student suicides have grown at an alarming annual rate of 4 per cent, double the national average,” said the report using official data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) corresponding to 2022.
The study compares the increase in suicide rate with the rate of population growth, which was situated at 0.8 percent annually.
The high rate of student suicides have been linked to excessive emphasis on exams, high expectations from parents and fierce competition for entry into top universities, generating a level of chronic stress that many young people are unable to endure.
“The incidence of student suicides continues to surpass both population growth rates and overall suicide trends. Over the last decade, while the population of 0-24-year-olds reduced from 582 million to 581 million, the number of student suicides increased from 6,654 to 13,044,” said the report.
The NCRB data are based on police reports, however, the study warns of possible underreporting of these cases due to social stigma and criminalization of suicide attempts and lawfully assisted suicide.
According to the NCRB, a total 170,924 suicides were recorded in 2022. EFE
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