Every day, 20 people took their own lives in the last fiscal year in Nepal.

It is like a minibus carrying 20 passengers plunging into a swollen river every day, and all of them dying.

The country, which was ranked 7th globally for suicide rates by the World Health Organization in 2014, has recently seen an alarming rise in deaths by self-harm.

What concerns experts more is that farmers, students, housewives, and unemployed youths are taking their own lives at an alarming rate.

According to data provided by Nepal Police, 7,223 people ended their lives in the fiscal year 2023-024. In the two previous fiscal years (2021-022 and 2022-023) altogether 13,823 people killed themselves. Of these, over 40 percent were farmers (5,556), followed by 15.4 percent of students (2128), and 11.6 percent housewives.

Although the records show that over 40 percent of those who took their lives were from farming backgrounds, the specific reasons behind these extreme actions remain unclear, say police officials.

“Whatever the causes might be, the suicide rates among farmers, students, housewives, and unemployed youths are very high compared to other groups,” said Dr Ashish Dutta, a senior superintendent of police. “A detailed study is needed to find the actual causes behind these suicides.”

The National Sample Census of Agriculture 2021-22, carried out by the National Statistics Office, shows that around 62 percent of the county's total population is engaged in agriculture, contributing about a quarter of the nation’s GDP and employing two-thirds of the population. Experts say that since farmers make up such a large portion of Nepal’s population, it is obvious that a significant number of suicides would come from this sector.

Mental health experts point to factors such as the burden of debt, crop failure, and rising production costs, including labour costs, among others, as potential reasons for the rise in farmer suicides.

Likewise, academic failure, unfulfilled ambitions, love failures, and adjustment problems in new environments, among others, could be the reasons for the rise in suicide rates among students. Similarly, family disputes, domestic violence, and several other factors are linked to to the high suicide rate among housewives.

Experts agree that people do not attempt suicide for a single reason but rather due to a complex mix of factors, including the rising cost of living and the struggle to meet basic needs, such as food, housing, healthcare, and job security.

“Whatever the cause, suicides and suicide attempts have a ripple effect, impacting not only the individual but also families, friends, colleagues, communities, and society at large,” said Dr Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra, director general at the Department of Health Services. “The issue is not just the number of suicides but also the number of those who attempted to end their lives.”

Nepal is among the countries with the highest suicide rates.

Reducing one-third of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention, treatment, and the promotion of mental health and well-being is among the UN-backed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets to which Nepal is committed.

Experts say the suicide rate is a key indicator of premature mortality within the SDGs, which are a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“At the time when the government committed to the SDGs in 2015, around 16 people took their own lives every 24 hours,” said Basudev Karki, a consultant psychiatrist. “Now the number has risen to 20. Our government had committed to reducing the suicide rate to 9.7 per 100,000 people by 2022, but this number rose to 24, and last year it increased further to 25.”

The government aims to reduce the suicide rate to 4.7 per 100,000 population by 2030 to meet the SDG targets, but as the deadline nears, more people are killing themselves every day.

A study carried out by the Nepal Health Research Council before the start of the Covid pandemic shows that more than 10 percent of the adult population had mental issues in their lifetime and 4.3 percent were undergoing some sort of mental crisis.

The prevalence of suicidality, including current suicidal thoughts, past suicide attempts, and a future likelihood of suicidal thoughts, was found to be prevalent in the 7.2 percent population.

“Even those individuals who appear healthy on the outside could also be struggling with serious mental health problems,” said Karki. “People generally do not like to talk about mental health issues due to the social stigma attached and lack of awareness. To tackle the growing mental health problems, authorities concerned have to take multiple approaches.”

The World Health Organisation says one in four people in the world are affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives, and around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the following helplines.

Nepal Mental Hospital suicide hotline: 1166

Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital suicide prevention hotline: 9840021600:

Patan Hospital crisis helpline for suicide prevention: 9813476123

The Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation: 16600102005