According to the latest data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) in 2025, death cases related to suicide in the country have sharply increased. Experts particularly call for the urgent preparation of national action plans to combat the feeling of "hopelessness" caused by economic difficulties, unemployment, and concerns about the future, especially among young people.
Medianews.az According to a report cited by Lent.az, the increase in suicide incidents in Istanbul recently draws attention. However, these cases are not limited to Istanbul alone.
Official statistics show that in recent years there has been an increase in deaths due to suicide in Turkey.
According to the latest data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute in 2025, the number of suicides, which was 3710 in 2020, rose to 4194 in 2021, 4218 in 2022, and decreased to 4089 in 2023.
During this period, the suicide rate varied between 4.45, 4.98, 4.96, and 4.79.
The suicide rate expresses the number of suicides per one hundred thousand people annually.
In 2024, a noticeable increase was observed in both data sets.
That year, the number of suicides rose from 4089 to 4460, and the overall suicide rate increased to 5.22.
Professor Mehmet Keskin from Koç University states that while suicide rates have increased, the population has also grown; therefore, the suicide rate is more informative regarding the subject.
The vice-president of the Turkish Psychiatry Association and associate professor at Süleyman Demirel University, Gülin Özdamar Ünal, commenting on this data, said: "We can say there is an upward trend."
The data from the Turkish Statistical Institute shows the number of deaths resulting from suicide.
However, it is not possible to provide an exact number regarding suicide attempts.
Nevertheless, experts state that the number of suicide attempts is higher than the number of deaths.
The overall suicide rate, which had remained stable for years, started to increase after 2017.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 720,000 people worldwide die each year due to suicide.
The organization describes suicide as a serious public health problem that requires solutions in the field of public health.
Suicides are more frequent among young people
Data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute shows that young people rank high among age groups committing suicide.
According to the WHO, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15-29 worldwide.
According to data from 2024, in Turkey, 13.7% of those who committed suicide were aged 25-29, 13.1% were aged 20-24, 12.4% were 30-34, and 8.9% were 15-19.
Professor Keskin from Koç University explains the higher suicide rate among young people as follows:
"Young people's perception of risk is lower. They are impulsive and may have an immediate desire to react to certain difficulties encountered in life."
According to him, the issue of drug use in Turkey is also important.
"I see another thing in young people, they are in great despair. Despair is one of the most important factors affecting suicide."
Özdamar Ünal mentions various factors when assessing suicides among young people, including unemployment, being forced to work in jobs far below their qualifications, and the sense of inadequacy created by social media.
What are the causes of suicides?
WHO lists social, cultural, biological, psychological, and environmental factors among the causes of suicide.
According to 2024 suicide data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, illness is the main cause in Turkey.
According to the institute, 1123 people committed suicide for this reason.
According to the organization’s data, 190 people died by suicide due to family conflicts, 402 due to financial difficulties, 6 due to business failure, 116 due to emotional relationships and not being able to marry the person they wanted, and 9 due to academic failure.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s data, 1642 suicide cases were classified as "other," and 972 suicide cases as unknown reasons.
Experts emphasize that it is difficult to determine exact causes.
Özdamar Ünal notes that sometimes different reasons may mix and provoke each other.
Suicides are higher in certain professions
Suicide is more common among men.
In 2024, 3499 men and 961 women died by suicide.
Özdamar Ünal cited doctors, law enforcement officers, and agricultural workers as examples, stating that higher suicide rates are observed in certain professions.
The report states that these individuals mainly work in more stressful environments and have easier access to means of suicide.
Özdamar Ünal says access to suicide means further increases suicidal tendencies.
She notes that last year the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) organized a suicide seminar in Istanbul, and that the Turkish Psychiatry Association also participated, where discussions were held about what could be done regarding the city’s bridges, squares, and transportation system.
People seeking help through ChatGPT say: "The advice given was to commit suicide."
She says work on measures to be taken in the city regarding this issue is continuing in cooperation with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
She also states that commissions for suicide prevention, established under provincial health directorates in provinces, have done important work and that these efforts should be expanded.
Özdamar Ünal adds that limiting access to firearms is also very important.