According to the data released by National Crime Records Bureau, Telangana reported zero farmer suicides in 2024. However, this does not include 5745 daily wage labourers who died by suicide.

In 2023, 56 persons engaged in farming sector had died by suicide, in the same year, 4,835 daily wage labourers died by suicide.  At the time of formation of Telangana in 2014, there were 898 farmer suicides.

The NCRB report that collates information from police from different States uses the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for the first time as well as Indian Penal Code for recording purposes. Nationally, 10,546 persons engaged in farming sector died by suicide which is lower than 2023 when 10,786 persons died by suicide. 

However, Telangana had the second highest suicide rate among large States at 28.6 per lakh, just below Kerala at 30.2 per lakh, freshly released data from NCRB shows. Bihar had the lowest rate at 1 while Sikkim had the highest at 36.3. Telangana accounts for 6.4% of the total suicides in the country with 10,975 deaths in 2024. This was a 3.7% rise in the number of deaths from 10,580 in 2023.  Maharashtra accounted for 13% (total deaths 22,174), and Tamil Nadu 11.7% (total deaths 15,491).

The national suicide rate has dropped from 12.3 per lakh to 12.2 per lakh. For Telangana, however, the number has gone up from 27.7 in 2023 to 28.6 per lakh in 2024. Telangana was among the seven States that saw an increase in suicides in 2024 while there has been national decline of -0.4%. 

The suicides were largely a rural phenomenon with less than 10% in Hyderabad city at 711. But this is a 7.9% increase from the 2023 number of 659 deaths.

Family problems remain a major driver of suicide with 4,675 (42.6%) cases being attributed to it. Illness comes second with 2,209 cases, while financial troubles and bankruptcy stand third with 1,313 cases. Two deaths were attributed to hero worship and 25 to property disputes.

(Roshini suicide prevention helplines: 8142020033/44 and 040 66202000/2001)