India is facing a student mental health crisis of unprecedented proportions. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 report revealed that 13,892 students died by suicide last year, the highest in a decade.
These deaths account for 8.1 percent of all suicides nationwide, a sharp rise compared to 12,526 in 2020 and 10,159 in 2018. Over the past decade, student suicides have surged by nearly 65 percent, growing faster than overall suicides in the country.
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The highest number of student suicides, 2,046, was reported from Maharashtra, a large and populous state with the dubious distinction of having the highest share of all states, 14.7 percent. Other states with high counts of student suicide deaths are Madhya Pradesh (1,459), Uttar Pradesh (1,373) and Tamil Nadu (1,339).
According to the 2022 report by the National Crime Records Bureau, 13,044 student suicides were recorded, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.3 percent from the previous year.
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