Number of suicides in Slovakia dropped to 567 in 2014

WHILE in the world, a total of about a million people commit suicide annually, in Slovakia the number was 567 in 2014, a drop of 61 from the previous year.

Illustrative stock photo Illustrative stock photo (Source: Sme )

The number of failed suicide attempts dropped to 822 which is 150 fewer than in 2013, Health Ministry spokesman Peter Bubla informed the SITA newswire on September 10.

Among suicides statistics, the majority, 493 were men. Of those, 122 were aged between 50 and 59. The most frequent means of suicide was, in both sexes, by hanging, followed by a shot from handgun and by jumping off high places.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

The number of failed suicide attempts was 425 men and 397 women, mostly aged between 30 and 39. Men most often tried to kill themselves by injuries with a sharp item, while women overdosed on medication. Of the total number of suicide attempts, 39 percent were mere demonstrative ones, seeking attention or reaction  (79 percent of attempts among girls aged under 14 were deemed demonstrative).

SkryťTurn off ads

More than a half of all suicide attempts were made by people not in a relationship while married people accounted for 27 percent of the total. As for career, the unemployed most frequently tried to commit suicide. The most cited reason was family issues and conflicts followed by other internal conflicts and existential problems.

As for permanent residence, most suicides were reported Banská Bystrica Region (97), Nitra Region (80) and the fewest in Košice Region (46). As for attempts, the most were reported in the regions of Bratislava (173) and Trnava (132), the fewest in Nitra (36). It is difficult to compare the number of suicides though as some countries do not register precise data on voluntary deaths, Bubla told SITA.

The lowest suicide rate in the European Union, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD was in southern countries like Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Italy, Spain; while the highest numbers were in Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, and Latvia. In the EU, suicides are four times more frequent among men than women. Between 2000 and 2011 suicides declined in European countries by 20 percent. Since 2010, September 10 has been pronounced as World Suicide Prevention Day . This year the leitmotif is Prevention of Suicides: Reaching Out and Saving Lives. Accoridng to World Health Organisation Statistics, one million people commit suicide worldwide each year, which means that every 40 seconds a person dies of their own will, making it the second most frequent cause of death in the 15 to 29 age group.

Top stories

Slovakia marks 20 years since joining NATO.

Slovakia marks 20 years in the Alliance.


Daniel Hoťka and 1 more
Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad