Iraq reports highest suicide rate in years
772 suicide cases registered in 2021 against 393 in 2016
Cairo: Iraq has said that 772 persons committed suicide in 2021, the country's highest rate in recent years.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said the figure marked an increase of more than 100 persons compared to last year when 663 people were registered to have taken their lives in the country.
“Since 2016, the suicide cases have shown an increase,” the ministry’s spokesman Khalid Al Mahna said. In 2016, 393 suicide cases were registered, hitting 605 in 2019, he told the Iraqi news agency.
Males accounted for 55.2 per cent of the registered suicide cases against 44.8 per cent among females.
Suicide cases among the married people reached 40 per cent, the official said without specifying a year.
“Due to the increase in suicide cases across the country, the ministry has decided to set up committees
of specialists to study this phenomenon and make conclusions about its causes and comparisons to the neighbouring countries,” the official said.
He cited psychological pressure, domestic violence, family break-ups, and economic woes including unemployment as reasons for suicide.