Countries by Suicide mortality rate, male (per 100,000 male population)
Eswatini ranks first among 185 countries with a male suicide mortality rate of 45 per 100,000 male population in 2021, more than 56 times higher than last-placed St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 0.80. The gap across the full ranking spans over 5,500 percent from top to bottom. This range reflects the wide variation in recorded male suicide mortality across regions and income levels.
Ranking 2021
Values shown in per capita.
Analysis
This metric measures the number of male suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 male population. Per the source definition: 'Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).' The figures are not age-adjusted, which means demographic differences in population age structure can influence cross-country comparisons. Data are drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5, for the reference year 2021. Coverage is strong: 185 countries are included, all with data from the last seven years, and 100 percent of datapoints are classified as official-quality. The viability checks identified 27 extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold, and year-over-year volatility averaged 7.3 percent, well within the 50 percent acceptance threshold.
The top of the ranking is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe. Eswatini leads at 45 per 100,000, followed by Lesotho at 41.35 (rank 2) and Guyana at 39.95 (rank 3). Uruguay ranks 4th at 39.85, and South Korea ranks 5th at 38.16. Eastern European countries feature prominently: Ukraine ranks 6th at 37.65, Lithuania 7th at 36.73, and Russia 8th at 36.68. South Africa ranks 9th at 35.40, and Mongolia rounds out the top 10 at 32.16. Several Western European countries also appear in the upper third of the ranking, including Belgium at 26.25 (rank 19), France at 24.10 (rank 30), and Austria at 23.56 (rank 33).
The middle of the ranking includes a diverse mix of regions. The United States ranks 25th at 24.69, while India ranks 63rd at 13.80 and China ranks 99th at 10.32. Denmark, Togo, and the United Kingdom share rank 57 at exactly 14.65, an unusual three-way tie. At the lower end, countries in the Middle East and North Africa cluster near the bottom: Jordan ranks 183rd at 0.90, Lebanon 184th at 0.86, and Egypt ranks 181st at 0.92. Indonesia ranks 176th at 1.49, and Saudi Arabia ranks 179th at 1.14. Several Pacific island states appear in the upper portion of the ranking, including Kiribati at 31.00 (rank 12), Solomon Islands at 29.18 (rank 15), and Vanuatu at 24.65 (rank 26), placing them alongside much larger economies.
Crude suicide rates are not age-adjusted, which limits direct comparability between countries with different age structures. Reporting reliability varies significantly across countries: in nations with weaker civil registration systems, suicide deaths may be misclassified as accidents or undetermined causes, likely suppressing reported rates. Cultural and legal factors in some countries can create strong incentives to underreport suicides, which may distort rankings at the lower end. The metric covers only recorded deaths classified as suicide and does not capture attempted suicides or self-harm. Figures represent a single reference year (2021) and may not reflect longer-term trends.
Methodology
Metric: Male suicide mortality rate per 100,000 male population. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5. Data year: 2021. Definition (verbatim from source): 'Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).' Country coverage: 185 countries, all with data from the last seven years (100% recency). Data quality: 100% of datapoints are classified as official. Outliers: 27 countries flagged as extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold. Average year-over-year volatility: 7.3% (well below the 50% flag threshold). Value range: 0.80 (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) to 45.00 (Eswatini), a spread of 5,525%. Rates are crude and not age-adjusted, which affects cross-country comparability. The metric counts recorded deaths classified as suicide only.