Youth numbers continue to spiral upwards while adult deaths by suicide are declining
Last year 78 teenagers took their own lives in Spain, an increase of 18% and close to an all-time high
Youth suicide numbers continue to rise, bucking the overall downward trend in Spain. While the number of adults who took their own lives in 2024 fell for the second consecutive year, breaking the upward trend of the last five years, self-harm among those under 25 and especially among teenagers, which had also slowed their increase in 2023, shot up again last year and are very close to the record highs of 2022.
Data released by Spain's INE national statistics institute indicates that the reduction in suicides among young people experienced last year, which seemed to halt the nearly 50% growth recorded since 2017, was merely an illusion. The final figures for 2024 show that 210 under-25s took their own lives last year, seven more than the previous year. This is an increase of 3.4% and, worse still, is approaching the peak of 2022, when 212 young people in Spain took their own lives.
The resurgence of this trend is very worrying, but it is even more so when we examine the data for teenagers alone. Suicides among 15-19 year olds increased in 2024 to 78 victims, which is 12 more than just a year earlier and an 18% year-on-year increase in self-harm for this age group.
In the case of adults, with 163 fewer deaths than 12 months prior, the decline has been consolidated for the first time in five years
The huge number of adolescent suicides also has a clear gender bias, as ten of the 12 additional deaths were male, a trend that is repeated among pre-adolescents (10-14 years old), among whom male deaths doubled. They went from three in 2023 to six last year. In the 20-24 age bracket, the opposite is true. Male deaths decreased by 12 compared to 2023, but female fatalities increased by six, up 19%.
The harsh reality of more suicides among young people has overshadowed the encouraging figures provided by the INE for the wider population. Their statistics show that 3,953 took their own lives last year across Spain, marking the second consecutive year of declines, breaking the upward trend that began in the last decade and that was accelerated by the personal and social shock unleashed by the pandemic.
Suicides across all age groups in 2024 were 163 fewer than in the same period in 2023, which was already the first year showing a decline, with 145 fewer suicides than in 2022. This marks the first pause in the series of increases in suicides since 2016, with the sole exception being in 2018. However, upon closer examination of age groups, the bulk of the improvement is due to the decrease in suicides among those aged 25 and over, among whom there were 167 fewer deaths than in 2023, a decrease of 4.2%.
Almost 11 deaths per day
Despite the end of the overall upward trend, suicide deaths continue to be a significant problem, fluctuating between ten and 11 deaths per day. The typical adult suicide victim in Spain is male, as 73% of adults who die by suicide are men, with the highest proportional rate among those aged over 85.
In June, the Spanish government's council of ministers approved allocating nearly 18 million euros to the autonomous regions to implement the first nationwide suicide prevention plan. Key initiatives include reforming emergency departments in general hospitals to improve accessibility and acceptance for individuals experiencing mental health crises, as well as creating community-based prevention programmes aimed at individuals identified as at-risk and patients with serious illnesses or chronic pain who are experiencing suicidal thoughts.
The 024 number, Spain's free 24-hour suicide helpline, has received over half a million calls from those affected or their loved ones in its first 3.5 years of operation. That's approximately 140,000 calls for help per year and an average of 380 per day.
Helplines
Telephone 024: the Spanish government's free 24-hour 365-day helpline run by the Red Cross. Real time telephone interpreting service for non-Spanish speakers.
Samaritans in Spain: Free helpline in English for anyone feeling desperate, anxious or alone: Freephone 900 525 100 between 10am and 10pm or email pat@samaritansinspain.com. www.samaritansinspain.com
Anar: Helpline and chat for children and teens (Spanish). 900 202 010 www.anar.org
