THE number of Filipinos who died by suicide rose slightly in 2024, according to new data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA reported 3,379 deaths from intentional self-harm last year, 246 more than the 3,133 recorded in 2023. Despite the uptick, suicide remained the 30th leading cause of death in the country.
The release comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to warn that suicide is a global public health concern, responsible for more than one in every 100 deaths worldwide. For every life lost, the WHO said, there are over 20 suicide attempts.
Globally, high-income countries record the highest age-standardized suicide rate at 11.8 per 100,000 people, followed by low-income nations with 10.5 per 100,000.
Across genders, suicide remains one of the top causes of death among young people. In 2021, it was the second leading cause of death among females aged 15 to 29, and the third for males in the same age group.
More than half of all suicides occur before age 50, while rates among those aged 70 and older are more than twice that of people aged 30 to 49.
The WHO also pointed out that mental health conditions weigh heavily on economies, costing between 0.5 and 1 percent of a country’s gross domestic product, a burden felt even more in developing nations.
‘Progress in reducing suicide mortality must accelerate to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of a one-third reduction by 2030,’ the WHO said in its September report coinciding with Suicide Prevention Month.
Heart disease still top killer
MEANWHILE, overall deaths in the country reached 701,861 in 2024, up from 694,821 the previous year.
Ischaemic heart disease remained the leading cause, claiming 134,078 lives or 19.1 percent of all recorded deaths.
It was followed by neoplasms, or cancers, which accounted for 77,433 deaths (11 percent), and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke, which caused 68,736 deaths (9.8 percent).
Regionally, Calabarzon registered the most deaths with 105,241, representing 15 percent of the national total. The National Capital Region (NCR), on the other hand, had 84,050 deaths, a two-percent rise from 82,410 in 2023.
Within Metro Manila, Quezon City recorded the highest number of deaths at 18,397, or nearly 22 percent of the region’s total. Cavite, meanwhile, logged the most deaths among all provinces with 26,869.
Per PSA, the data were based on civil registry records submitted to the agency’s regional offices nationwide.