Every suicide death is one too many. A goal of reducing the number of suicides by 25% in 2025 has been put forward by the Nordic Council Welfare Committee’s 2025 Ambition. This is in line with the United Nation’s World Goals for Sustainable Development of a 33% reduction of the suicide mortality rate in the world by 2030.
To gain an overview and to examine whether the suicide rates of the Nordic are decreasing, the Nordic Counsel of Ministers commissioned Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention (DRISP) to conduct a Situation Analysis. This situation analysis provides an overview as well as summarizes existing efforts and main challenges. It aims to provide information of relevance for policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and people who are interested in reducing the burden of suicide in the Nordic countries.
DRISP has prepared the report by in collaboration with a long list of highly established researchers and experts in the Nordic countries. The report has now been published by the Nordic Counsel of Ministers.
Some of the main findings are:
- In 2022, a total of 3,574 individuals died by suicide in the Nordic countries.
- The highest suicide rate was found in Greenland.
- With respect to UN’s goal of a 33% reduction in the suicide mortality rate, there has only been achieved modest over recent years in Nordic countries.
- Suicide statistics from Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aaland Islands are seemingly not being reported to the WHO Mortality Database.
- Suicide attempts are seemingly not been monitored in almost all of the Nordic countries.
- Almost all Nordic countries have a national plan for suicide prevention.
- Follow-up routines for people who present with suicide attempts in somatic emergency departments are seemingly missing in most countries.
Link to the full report can be found here: