About four times as many young males as females commit suicide in the industrialized nations, according to the latest figures from WHO.
Japan and most Western European nations have relatively low rates of youth suicide - fewer than 15 cases a year for every 100,000 young males. The highest rates - more than 30 cases per 100,000 - are found in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, and Slovenia.
A 1994 study by the Task Force on Suicide in Canada linked suicide among young people to sexual and emotional abuse, stress, unplanned pregnancy, problems concerning sexual preference, unemployment, imprisonment, and running away from home.
Deaths by suicide and self-inflicted injury per 100,000 aged 15-24, 1991-1993
| Males | Females | M/F ratio (rounded) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 3.8 | 0.8 | 5 |
| Portugal | 4.3 | 2.0 | 2 |
| Italy | 5.7 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Spain | 7.1 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 9.1 | 3.8 | 2 |
| Sweden | 10.0 | 6.7 | 1 |
| Japan | 10.1 | 4.4 | 2 |
| Israel | 11.7 | 2.5 | 5 |
| United Kingdom | 12.2 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Germany | 12.7 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Denmark | 13.4 | 2.3 | 6 |
| France | 14.0 | 4.3 | 3 |
| Bulgaria | 15.4 | 5.6 | 3 |
| Czech Rep. | 16.4 | 4.3 | 4 |
| Poland | 16.6 | 2.5 | 7 |
| Ukraine | 17.2 | 5.3 | 3 |
| Hungary | 19.1 | 5.5 | 3 |
| Austria | 21.1 | 6.5 | 3 |
| Ireland | 21.5 | 2.0 | 11 |
| United States | 21.9 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Belarus | 24.2 | 5.2 | 5 |
| Canada | 24.7 | 6.0 | 4 |
| Switzerland | 25.0 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Australia | 27.3 | 5.6 | 5 |
| Norway | 28.2 | 5.2 | 5 |
| Estonia | 29.7 | 10.6 | 3 |
| Finland | 33.0 | 3.2 | 10 |
| Latvia | 35.0 | 9.3 | 4 |
| Slovenia | 37.0 | 8.4 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 39.9 | 6.2 | 6 |
| Russian Fed. | 41.7 | 7.9 | 5 |
| Lithuania | 44.9 | 6.7 | 7 |
Religious and social strictures against suicide may result in some under-reporting in some nations.
SOURCE WHO, World Health Statistics Annual 1993 and 1994, 1994 and 1995.