Last week marked National Suicide Prevention Day, and it was learned that people over 80 and young people between 20 and 24 have the highest rates of this scourge.

The trend has been upward since 2000, although in 2024 the suicide rate was 21.35 per 100,000 inhabitants. This was a slight decrease equal to the peak recorded in 2022 (23.2).

The gender comparison shows a persistent difference, and last year the rate was 33.3 for men and 10.1 for women, a gap that has consistently remained the same since 2000.

Regarding age distribution, the highest suicide rates were recorded among the elderly, where the 85-89 age group had a rate of 38.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by those over 90 (37.6).

Third place went to the 20-24 age group, with a rate of 33.2, the highest historically recorded for this age group. This data underscores the need to continue strengthening prevention strategies aimed at young people.

Attempts at suicide are much higher among women and young people, according to digitalized data collected in emergency rooms across the country.

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