Out of the 5.2 million deaths reported in the European Union (EU) in 2015, 56 200 (1.1%) were due to intentional self-harm. Almost 8 in 10 suicides (77%) concerned men and about 31% by a person aged between 45 and 60.
In absolute terms, Germany (10 200 deaths) and France (9 200) were the two Member States recording the most suicides in 2015, followed by Poland (5 400), the United Kingdom (4 700), Italy (4 000) and Spain (3 600).
However, for a relevant country comparison, these absolute numbers must be adjusted to the size and structure of the population.
Suicide rate highest in Lithuania, lowest in Cyprus and Greece
With 30 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants, Lithuania registered by far the highest rate of suicide among the EU Member States. It was followed by Slovenia (21), Latvia and Hungary (both 19), Belgium and Croatia (both 17) and Estonia (16). At the opposite of the scale, the lowest rates of suicide were recorded in Cyprus (4 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants), Greece (5), Italy (6), the United Kingdom (7), Spain and Malta (both 8). At EU level, the suicide rate stood on average at 11 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2015.
The source datasets can be found here (rate) and here (absolute number).
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