DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF SUICIDE VICTIMS IN BRAZIL IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.


Abstract

Suicide is a serious public health problem with significant social and economic impacts. This study aims to analyze the demographic profile of suicide victims in Brazil over the past 10 years and identify the risk factors associated with these events. A retrospective, cross-sectional observational study was conducted using data from the Mortality Information System, focusing on deaths classified as intentional self-harm between 2013 and 2022. The results indicate a 55.35% increase in the total number of suicides in this period, rising from 10,533 cases in 2013 to 16,462 in 2022. Males were predominant among victims, with a suicide rate 3.63 times higher than women. The highest incidence of suicides was observed among individuals aged 20 to 39 years. The state of São Paulo recorded the highest absolute number of cases (23,754 deaths), while the highest suicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded in Rio Grande do Sul (14.43). Although the suicide rate in Brazil is relatively low compared to other countries, there has been a progressive increase over the last 10 years. Effective prevention requires the identification of risk factors, as well as improvements in public policies aimed at mental health for at-risk populations.


Keywords

Suicide
Demographic profile
Risk factors
Suicídio
fatores de risco
Perfil demográfico

References

  1. G. Turecki; D. A. Brent. Suicide and suicidal behaviour. Lancet 387: 1227-1239 (2016).
  2. World Health Organization. Suicide worldwide in 2019: global health estimates. WHO (2021).
  3. Disponível em: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240026643. Acesso em: 07 abr. 2025.
  4. M. Eskin. Suicidal behavior in the Mediterranean countries. Clin. Pract. Epidemiol. Ment. Health 16: 93-100 (2020).
  5. F. J. O. Alves et al. The rising trends of self-harm in Brazil: an ecological analysis of notifications, hospitalisations, and mortality between 2011 and 2022. Lancet Reg. Health Am.: 100691 (2024).
  6. D. S. Shepard et al. Suicide and suicidal attempts in the United States: costs and policy implications. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 46: 352-362 (2015).
  7. V. Jain et al. A study of hopelessness, suicidal intent and depression in cases of attempted suicide. Indian J. Psychiatry 41: 122-130 (1999).
  8. S. de la P. Bengoetxea-Fortes; M. J. Ramírez-Expósito; J. M. Martínez-Martos. Suicide, neuroinflammation and other physiological alterations. Eur. Arch. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 274: 1037-1049 (2023).
  9. J. M. Bolton et al. A population-based longitudinal study of risk factors for suicide attempts in major depressive disorder. J. Psychiatr. Res. 44: 817-826 (2010).
  10. M. Siegel; E. F. Rothman. Firearm ownership and suicide rates among US men and women, 1981-2013. Am. J. Public Health 106: 1316-1322 (2016).
  11. D. P. dos Santos; A. Chaoubah; H. N. de Oliveira. Epidemiology and economic burden of suicide among Brazilian workers: trends, occupational disparities, and gender differences. Value Health Reg. Issues 49: 101143 (2025).
  12. Ministério da Saúde. Panorama dos suicídios e lesões autoprovocadas no Brasil de 2010 a 2021. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde (2024). Disponível em: https://www.gov.br/saude/.../boletim-epidemiologico-volume-55-no-04.pdf/view. Acesso em: 13 mai. 2025.
  13. L. Baldaçara et al. Brazilian psychiatric association guidelines for the management of suicidal behavior. Part 1. Risk factors, protective factors, and assessment. Braz. J. Psychiatry 43: 525-537 (2020).
  14. D. C. A. Palma; B. F. A. de Oliveira; E. Ignotti. Suicide rates between men and women in Brazil, 2000-2017. Cad. Saúde Pública 37 (2021).
  15. S. Canetto; I. Sakinofsky. The gender paradox in suicide. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 28: 1-23 (1998).
  16. K. Gallagher et al. The social determinants of suicide: an umbrella review. Epidemiol. Rev. 47: mxaf004 (2025).
  17. N. Raschke et al. Socioeconomic factors associated with suicidal behaviors in South Korea: systematic review on the current state of evidence. BMC Public Health 22: 129 (2022).
  18. K. N. Fountoulakis et al. Relationship of suicide rates with climate and economic variables in Europe during 2000-2012. Ann. Gen. Psychiatry, 15: 19 (2016).
  19. C. S. de Oliveira; F. Lotufo Neto. Suicídio entre povos indígenas: um panorama estatístico brasileiro. Arch. Clin. Psychiatry 30: 4-10 (2003).
  20. D. C. Semenza et al. Gun violence exposure and suicide among Black adults. JAMA Netw. Open 7: e2354953 (2024).

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2026 Brazilian Journal of Criminalistics

Share

Author(s)

Most read articles by the same author(s)