26th Annual Crime Prevention Guide - 26e Guide annuel de la prévention du crime 67 Suicide Rates: An overview Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-624-X by Tanya Navaneelan Highlights • In 2009, there were 3,890 suicides in Canada, a rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people. • The suicide rate for males was three times higher than the rate for females (17.9 versus 5.3 per 100,000). • Although suicide deaths affect almost all age groups, those aged 40 to 59 had the highest rates. • Married people had a lower suicide rate than those who were single, divorced or widowed. Suicide is a major cause of premature and preventable death. It is estimated, that in 2009 alone, there were about 100,000 years of potential life lost to Canadians under the age of 75 as a result of suicides. Research shows that mental illness is the most important risk factor for suicide; and that more than 90% of people who commit suicide have a mental or addictive disorder. Depression is the most common illness among those who die from suicide, with approximately 60% suffering from this condition. No single determinant, including mental illness, is enough on its own to cause a suicide. Rather, suicide typically results from the interaction of many factors, for example: mental illness, marital breakdown, financial hardship, deteriorating physical health, a major loss, or a lack of social support. Males commit suicide at a higher rate than females In 2009, there were approximately 238,000 deaths in Canada, of which 3,890 were attributed to suicides. This resulted in a suicide rate of 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people. During that year, a total of 2,989 males committed suicide (17.9 deaths per 100,000) compared to 901 females (5.3 deaths per 100,000). As these data show, males were three times more likely to commit suicide than females. The much higher rate of male suicide is a long-term pattern in Canada. At all points in time over the past 60 years, males have had higher rates of suicide than females (Chart below). For both sexes, suicide rates remained fairly stable in the 1950s then steadily rose between the 1960s and 1980s where it peaked in 1983 at 15.1 per 100,000 (age-standardized rate). Since then, rates have dropped to 10.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2009. While male suicide rates have been generally decreasing since 1999, female rates appear to have stabilized. www.statcan.gc.ca Suicide Rates
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