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NEWS ALERTS | Understanding the NCRB data on suicides with caution
Understanding the NCRB data on suicides with caution

Understanding the NCRB data on suicides with caution

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published Published on Nov 17, 2021   modified Modified on Aug 5, 2022


The increase in the total number of suicides committed in India during 2020 in comparison to the previous years has hit the headlines recently. While some media commentators have stated that the economic distress (caused by job loss, income loss, failure of business, and growing hunger, among other things) in 2020 could have led to more suicides being committed, others have said that home isolation and deteriorating mental health (associated with loss of near and dear ones due to COVID-19, among others) were the plausible reasons for the jump in suicide numbers in 2020 vis-à-vis the past years. 

In this news alert, we will show that it is not prudent to jump to conclusions by simply looking at the data on suicides that is provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Much deeper research to understand the rise in suicide numbers during the lockdown year 2020 is required, which is beyond the scope of the mainstream media’s regular coverage of this issue. 

What do the data tell us about the number of suicides committed?

The NCRB's annual publication titled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ provide us the national and sub-national level data on suicides. 

After 2013, there was a major change in the way in which the suicide data is provided in the ADSI reports. One can easily detect that the NCRB in recent years has been providing the suicide data in its annual ADSI publication broadly in terms of education status-wise, economic status-wise, social status-wise, and profession-wise, among others. In this news alert, we have looked at the national-level picture using profession-wise and economic status-wise data.

Table 1: Number of suicides, growth of population, and rate of suicides

Source: Incidence and Rate of Suicides during 2010 to 2020, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access   
Incidence and Rate of Suicides during 2004 to 2014, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access  
Incidence and Rate of Suicides During 2003, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access  
Incidence and Rate of Suicides During 2002, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access  
Incidence and Rate of Suicides During 2001, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access     

Note: Please click here to access the data in the table in a spreadsheet format
---

In the period from 2001 to 2020, negative growth in the total number of suicides committed (over the previous year) was observed in the years 2012 (i.e., -0.10 percent), 2013 (i.e., -0.48 percent), 2014 (i.e., -2.32 percent), 2016 (i.e., -1.96 percent), and 2017 (i.e., -0.86 percent). Please consult table-1. 

In the period from 2001 to 2020, the highest growth rate in the total number of suicides committed (over the previous year) was attained in 2020 (i.e., 10.01 percent). As mentioned above, economic distress during the COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown and mental agony along with home isolation have been provided as plausible reasons, among others, by various media commentators behind the rise in suicide numbers in 2020 in comparison to the past years. However, it may also be the case that more suicides were registered by the police in 2020. That may have happened possibly because of two factors. Either a family felt less hesitant in reporting suicide committed by its member to the police during the lockdown year (instead of avoiding to report such a case to the police in a normal year when economic activities ran smoothly due to the fear of stigma), or it may have been the instance that the police did not refuse to register such a case in 2020.  

It should be noted that during the period of countrywide lockdown (followed by the period of un-lockdown when normalcy had still not returned fully), community vigilance and frequent patrolling by the police could have possibly made it difficult for a family to hide a case of suicide. What could have been the rationale behind the change in reporting behaviour by the suicide victim’s family? Lest the people in the community start doubting whether a person in the neighbourhood household died due to COVID-19 infection, leading to social ostracization (thus causing more trouble for the family), it was much a safer option before that family to reveal the truth to the police. However, more research is needed to know the exact reasons behind the rise in suicide numbers in 2020 in comparison to the past years.  

It should be noted that the report titled Crime in India 2020 by NCRB (another of its annual publication) has mentioned that the "country remained under complete lockdown from 25th March, 2020 and 31st May, 2020 due to COVID-19 Pandemic (First Wave), during which time movement in public space was very limited. The cases registered under Crimes against Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Theft, Burglary, Robbery and Dacoity have therefore declined, whereas Covid related enforcement has resulted in an increase of cases registered under 'Disobedience to order duly promulgated by Public Servant (Sec. 188 IPC)', under 'Other IPC Crimes' and under 'Other State Local Acts'." It may have been possible that the police personnel were less loaded in dealing with the usual crime cases in 2020, and so they did not refuse to register suicide cases.  

A study titled Suicide mortality in India: a nationally representative survey (2012) by Vikram Patel and others had noticed that the NCRB's data on suicide reported fewer suicide deaths (i.e., 1,34,599) in 2010 as compared to its own estimate of 1,86,900 suicide deaths in India at ages 15 years and more. The study, which was published in the Lancet journal, had questioned the reliability of the NCRB's data on suicides. It had stated that the suicide data is based on police reports and suicide is considered a crime in the country, which usually affects the veracity of reporting. 

In comparison to the estimates by the Lancet study (2012), the NCRB underestimated suicide deaths among men by at least 25 percent and women by at least 36 percent, with several under-reported suicide deaths happening among women and men aged 15-29 years, and also among women aged 60 years or older. 

A survey of the literature (please click here and here to access) reveals that farmers who belong to subordinate castes (like Scheduled Castes) and their families face discriminatory policies when it comes to land entitlement. Farmers who do not possess title to land are not enumerated as the same in official surveys, and therefore when the family head dies by committing suicide, the family becomes unable to access any compensation and relief package, which is offered by the national/ sub-national government. Similarly, tenant farmers and women farmers who lease in land on the basis of oral contracts are not counted as farmers officially. As a result of these practices, it has been observed that there is historically under-reportage of suicides that are committed by such categories of farmers in the official data.

Besides all these, certain states/ UTs have been reporting zero number of suicides of farmers/ cultivators as well as agricultural labourers for some years now, which indicates data fudging, according to experts. In 2019, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Manipur had reported zero suicides of farmers/ cultivators as well as agricultural labourers, as per the ADSI 2019 report. Among states, Bihar, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal officially reported zero number of suicides of farmers/ cultivators as well as agricultural labourers during the last year, as per the ADSI 2020 report. If one were to believe what the experts have been saying about the underestimation of farmers' suicide in the official data, then that trend continued in 2020 as well. It can be also noticed from the ADSI data (see table-2; sheet2) that the percentage share of farmers/ cultivators in the total number of suicides has gradually reduced from 6.0 percent in 2015 to 3.6 percent in 2020.

A study that was done by Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana) had found that during the period from 2014 to 2018, 1,738 farm labourers and 2,002 farmers/ cultivators (i.e. a total of 3,740 farm suicides) committed suicides in just six districts of Punjab i.e., Ludhiana, Moga, Bhatinda, Sangrur, Barnala, and Mansa. On the contrary, the NCRB data shows that during the same period, 254 agricultural labourers and 828 farmers (i.e. a total of 1,082 farm suicides) committed suicides in 23 districts of that state. It clearly shows that the official source of data on farm suicides suppressed the figures (or undercounted the cases), writes Dr. Sukhpal Singh who was one of the chief researchers of that field study.

Trends in the suicide rate

It can be seen from chart-1 that the rate of suicide reached the lowest point in the year 2005 (i.e. 10.3 suicides per lakh population) during the period from 2001 to 2010. The rate of suicide gradually increased after 2005 and reached the peak in 2010 (i.e. 11.4 suicides per lakh population). In the following years, the rate of suicide steadily fell to reach the trough in 2017 (i.e. 9.9 suicides per lakh population)

 

Source: Incidence and Rate of Suicides during 2010 to 2020, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access   
Incidence and Rate of Suicides during 2004 to 2014, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access  
Incidence and Rate of Suicides During 2003, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access  
Incidence and Rate of Suicides During 2002, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access  
Incidence and Rate of Suicides During 2001, ADSI, NCRB, please click here to access     

Note: Please click here to access the data in the table in a spreadsheet format
---

In 2020, the suicide rate was 11.30 suicides per lakh population, shows chart-1. 

Profession-wise distribution of suicides

NCRB's ADSI reports indicate that the highest growth in the number of suicides committed between 2019 and 2020 was noticed for 'tradespersons' (49.9 percent), followed by 'Central/ UT Government Servants' (43.0 percent), 'those in business-total' (29.43 percent), and 'those in Other Statutory Body, etc.' (29.34 percent). It should be noted that the percentage shares of suicides committed by 'tradespersons', 'Central/ UT Government Servants', 'those in business-total', and 'those in Other Statutory Body, etc.' in the total number of suicides in 2019 were 2.1 percent (but 2.8 percent in 2020), 0.2 percent (but 0.3 percent in 2020), 6.5 percent (but 7.7 percent in 2020), and 0.3 percent (also 0.3 percent in 2020), respectively. Please see table-2.

Kindly note that 'those in business-total' comprises 'vendors', 'tradespersons', and 'those in other business'. Similarly, 'Government Servants-total' comprises 'Central/ UT Government Servants', 'State Government Servants', and 'Other Statutory Body, etc'.

Table 2: Profession-wise Distribution of Suicides (2015 to 2020)


Source: 

Profession wise Distribution of Suicides during 2020 ADSI NCRB, please click here to access
Profession wise Distribution of Suicides during 2019 ADSI NCRB, please click here to access
Profession wise Distribution of Suicides during 2018 ADSI NCRB, please click here to access
Profession wise Distribution of Suicides during 2017 ADSI NCRB, please click here to access
Profession wise Distribution of Suicides during 2016 ADSI NCRB, please click here to access
Profession wise Distribution of Suicides during 2015 ADSI NCRB, please click here to access

 

Note: Please click here to access the data in the table in a spreadsheet format

---

The highest average of the annual growth rates for the period 2016-2020 was observed in the case of 'tradespersons' (16.38 percent), followed by 'other self-employed persons' (13.77 percent), and 'vendors' (10.33 percent). Please note that the percentage shares of suicides committed by 'tradespersons', 'other self-employed persons', and 'vendors' in the total number of suicides during the period 2015-2020 were 2.1 percent, 3.9 percent, and 2.4 percent, respectively.  

In the period from 2015 to 2020, the highest share in the total number of suicides was observed for 'daily wage earners' (21.7 percent), followed by 'other persons' (17.3 percent), and 'housewives' (16.1 percent). The shares of 'Central/ UT Government Servants' and ‘those in Other Statutory Body, etc.' in the total number of suicides were 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively during the period 2015-2020.

It should be noted that the profession-wise suicide rates have not been provided by the ADSI reports. Kindly click here to know why it is better to compare the ‘rates of suicide’ instead of comparing the ‘percentage shares in the total suicide’ or comparing the 'absolute number of suicides' between two entities.

The readers should also note that the classification of suicide victims according to profession was changed after 2013 – first in 2014, and then again in 2015. Since 2015 the ADSI reports have been following a consistent classification of suicide victims according to profession. In our analysis, we have considered the data related to the classification of suicide victims according to profession from 2015 onwards for the sake of comparison. 

Economic status-wise distribution of suicides

On looking at the annual income-wise distribution of suicides, it can be found more than 60 percent of the suicides were committed by persons with an annual income of less than Rs. 1 lakh, and just around 1 percent of the suicides were committed by persons with an annual income of Rs. 10 lakhs and above in each of the years between 2014 and 2020. Kindly see table-3. Please note that the data related to the economic status-wise distribution of suicides became available after 2013.  
 
Table 3: Economic status-wise distribution of suicides

Source: Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2020, please click here to access 
Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2019, please click here to access
Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2018, please click here to access
Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2017, please click here to access
Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2016, please click here to access
Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2015, please click here to access
Economic status-wise distribution of suicides in 2014, please click here to access   

Note: Please click here to access the data in the table in a spreadsheet format
---

In a country like India, the income distribution is highly unequal and only a small proportion of the population has an annual income of Rs. 10 lakhs and above. So, it is natural that a lower proportion of persons who have an annual income of Rs. 10 lakhs and beyond commit suicides. It should be noted that the economic status-wise suicide rates have not been provided by the ADSI reports. As a result, it would be too early to say with confidence that the suicides are more and more committed by persons from lower-income groups. Please click here to know more about this issue.     

 

* Note to the readers: 

The purpose behind the news alert is to analyse the official data related to suicides and critically look at its usefulness as an indicator of economic distress. In no way, the news alert is intended to romanticise/ glamourise suicides committed by the victims. Please click here and here to contact mental distress (suicide prevention)-related helplines.  

References 

Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (various years), National Crime Records Bureau, please click here to access  

Crime in India (various years), National Crime Records Bureau, please click here to access  

Suicide mortality in India: a nationally representative survey -Vikram Patel, Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige, Lakshmi Vijayakumar, JS Thakur, Vendhan Gajalakshmi, Gopalkrishna Gururaj, Wilson Suraweera, and Prabhat Jha, and for the Million Death Study Collaborators, Lancet. 2012 Jun, 23; 379(9834): 2343–2351. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60606-0, please click here and here to access the paper

Every Thirty Minutes: Farmer Suicides, Human Rights and the Agrarian Crisis in India (2011), prepared by Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ)/ International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC), NYU School of Law, please click here to access  

Farmers’ Suicides in India: Magnitudes, Trends, and Spatial Patterns, 1997–2012 --K. Nagaraj, P Sainath, R Rukmani, and R Gopinath, Review of Agrarian Studies, please click here to access  

News alert: Farm suicide as an indicator of agrarian crisis should be used with caution, Inclusive Media for Change, Published on 20 December, 2018, please click here to access  

News alert: Why do farmers commit suicides? Inclusive Media for Change, Published on 21 April, 2014, please click here to access  

NCRB Report Finds Drastic Rise in Suicide Among Businessman -Mukul Singh Chauhan, TheWire.in, 10 November, 2021, please click here and here to access 

NCRB report: Data shows more suicides among businessmen than farmers in 2020, The Indian Express, 8 November, 2021, please click here to access

More Than 11,000 Businesspersons Died by Suicide in 2020, a 29% Jump From 2019: NCRB -Taniya Roy, TheWire.in, 8 November, 2021, please click here to access  

Suicides committed by farmers and farm labourers: Ground reality in Punjab versus official data -Dr. Sukhpal Singh (in Hindi), Junputh.com, 6 November, 2021, please click here and here to access

More businesspeople died of suicide than farmers in 2020, shows NCRB data -Nikhil Rampal, ThePrint.in, 6 November, 2021, please click here to access  

Six out of every 10 people who died by suicide in 2020 had an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh: NCRB, Moneycontrol.com, 3 November, 2021, please click here to access  

India Lost More People to Suicide Than to Coronavirus in 2020, Shows NCRB Data, News18.com, 1 November, 2021, please click here to access 

31 children died by suicide every day in 2020, reveals govt data; experts blame Covid-19 -Shubhangi Gupta, Hindustan Times, 1 November, 2021, please click here to access  

Suicides rose to an all-time high in 2020, daily wagers made up the greatest share -Harikishan Sharma, The Indian Express, 30 October, 2021, please click here to access  

76% increase in suicides by daily wagers: NCRB report -Bhartesh Singh Thakur, The Tribune, 30 October, 2021, please click here to access

The Hindu scores in responsible reporting of suicides, The Hindu, 15 June, 2021, please click here to access

The slaughter of suicide data -P Sainath, Frontline, 21 August, 2015, please click here to access  


Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi



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