Suicide rate stable in Netherlands; Leading cause of death among young people
Those in the Netherlands in life threatening danger should immediately dial 112 for emergency services. Anyone suffering from depression or contemplating suicide may call 113 Zelfmoordpreventie at any time by dialing either 113 or 0800-0113. Counselors at De Luisterlijn may also be reached at 088-0767000, or volunteers may be reached at one of their local numbers. A list of suicide crisis hotlines outside the Netherlands is available on Wikipedia.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among people under 30 in the Netherlands, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday. The suicide rate in the country has been stable since 2018.
Last year, 1,916 people took their own lives in the Netherlands - 1,315 men and 601 women. At 10.8 suicides per 100,000 residents, the suicide rate is about the same as in the previous five years. The suicide rate among women decreased slightly since 2018 and increased slightly among men.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among people under 30. Of all teenagers who died in 2022, one in five took their own lives. Among people in their twenties, that was even a third.
“Previously, traffic accidents caused the most deaths among young people under the age of 30,” the statistics office said. However, it added that this was not only due to the number of suicides increasing in the age group, but also because the number of fatal traffic accidents decreased.