Suicide figures show worrying increase among young people

The number of suicides among young people under the age of thirty is increasing. Since 2013, the number of young people who took their own lives increased by 16.8 percent. The increase is causing great concern, said Renske Gilissen, the lead researcher at suicide prevention hotline organization 113, and the chair of CANS, the Dutch committee monitoring reports of suicide. Still, the total number of suicides across all age groups actually last year was slightly lower than the year before.

In 2023, some 300 people under the age of 30 took their own lives, almost 60 more than a decade ago, according to data from CANS. A significant proportion of the younger people who killed themselves were under pressure to perform better academically, or they had the feeling that they were not doing well enough.

There is actually a decline in the number of suicides among middle-aged people, according to the CANS figures. Gilissen called this decrease a positive development. She emphasized that most suicides still occur in the age group of people between 40 and 69 years old when the data is examined based on demographics and population totals. In 2023, more than 950 people in this age group ended their own lives. Since 2013, this decreased by 14.4 percent.

A total of 1,885 cases of suicide were recorded in 2023. That was slightly lower than in 2022, and continued the decade-long trend in a relatively stable number of suicides. An average of about five people end their lives daily in the Netherlands. “The suicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants is also stable in 2023, just like in previous years,” Gilissen said.

It is often difficult to pinpoint a specific reason for suicide, because it is often a combination of factors. The three most frequently mentioned are psychological problems, social relationships and problems experienced in healthcare.

“The impact of some factors was sometimes more pronounced in a specific group,” 113 further explained. For example, the researchers saw that bullying was an important factor when studying the deaths of young women, while addiction problems were more common in cases involving young and middle-aged men.

Gilissen notes that everybody can help bring the suicide rate down. "If everybody does their part, the number can go down." For example, 113 says starting a conversation on the topic is important. "The shame surrounding suicidal thoughts is usually very high; a conversation in which these thoughts are specifically mentioned provides relief and can be the start of improvement."

The number of suicides in all age groups combined has remained approximately the same over the past ten years.