Suicide Becomes Leading Cause of Death Among Young Adults in Europe

Suicide has surpassed road accidents as the leading cause of death among young adults aged 15 to 29 in Europe, with almost one in five fatalities being attributed to suicide, according to a major study by Eurofund. The report highlights a significant decline in road traffic fatalities, which had previously been the top killer of young adults, and identifies various factors contributing to the recent rise in suicides, including the cost-of-living crisis, remote working, and climate change.

Key Takeaways:

• Suicide has become the leading cause of death among young adults aged 15 to 29 in Europe, accounting for almost 19% of fatalities in 2021 (4,973 people).
• The long-term decline in suicide death rates across the EU began to plateau in 2017 and has since started to creep back up, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The report identifies various factors contributing to the recent rise in suicides, including the cost-of-living crisis, remote working, and climate change.
• The shift to remote working after the pandemic has been identified as a potential contributing factor to the rise in suicides.
• The report suggests that tackling underlying causes of the trend is key for European governments, particularly increasing access to mental healthcare and improving living and working conditions.
• The issue of suicide is "profoundly gendered," with men being 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide than women, and there has been an increase in suicide in girls under 20.
• Problematic social media use has been identified as a driver of the rise in suicides in young people, particularly girls under 20.
• Men and women in lower-income households, those with lower levels of education, and those who experience homelessness or are refugees are at higher risk of suicide.
• Access to mental healthcare is a significant barrier, with less than half of those who have experienced mental health problems rating the quality of the mental healthcare they received positively.
• Early intervention in schools and workplaces, as well as tackling stigma and discrimination around mental health, is crucial, according to Hans Dubois, Eurofound Senior Research Manager.

Statistics:

• Almost 19% of fatalities among young adults aged 15 to 29 in 2021 were attributed to suicide (4,973 people).
• The decline in road traffic fatalities has been significant, with a 53.4% drop across the EU since 2011.
• Road accidents accounted for 16.5% of deaths among young people in 2021, a total of 4,332 lives lost.
• The sharp decline in road traffic deaths has been attributed to the introduction of new road safety measures, including stricter drink-driving limits and cross-border enforcement of driving bans.
• Lithuania has managed to slash road traffic deaths by more than half between 2011 and 2021.
• Men are 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide than women.
• One in 16 children in Germany were already addicted to social media or digital games by 2019.

Sources:

• Eurofund, "Study on youth in the EU: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and long-term trends"
• European Commission, "EU Road Safety Policy"