More than 133,623 Indians committed suicide in India in 2015, according to the latest data available, with almost 15 suicides every hour in India.

The rate of suicides in cities--12.2 per 100,000--was higher than the rest of the country, which reported 10.6 per 100,000, according to the 2015 Accidental Deaths and Suicides report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Males outnumbered females, committing 68% of all suicides.

Maharashtra (12.7%), Tamil Nadu (11.8%) and West Bengal (10.9%) registered the most suicides, followed by Karnataka (8.1%) and Madhya Pradesh (7.1%). Together, these states contributed to 51.2% of all suicides nationwide.

Source: Accidental Deaths and Suicides report 2015, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

The two most cited causes of suicides were “family problems” (not including marriage) and “illness”, which contributed to 51.1% of all suicides.

Source: Accidental Deaths and Suicides report 2015, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

(Yadavar is a principal correspondent with IndiaSpend and FactChecker.)

Swagata Yadavar