Suicide in Afghanistan

Afghanistan ostensibly has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world, but this number may be misleading; according to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, many suicides in Afghanistan are not reported.^[1]^[2]

According to BBC, 80 percent of suicide attempts in Afghanistan are by women. However, according to the WHO, suicides by men account for two-thirds of suicides.^[3] Reasons for female suicides include mental health problems, domestic violence, forced marriages, and abuse.^[1] The province of Herat province accounts for more than half of these female suicide cases.

Many people who live in rural areas hide causes of death as being attributed to suicide, since it is considered to be haram in Islam, the official religion in Afghanistan.^[1]

In mid-to-late 2023, during the Taliban's takeover of the nation, media outlets reported a spike in women committing suicide in Afghanistan had been observed that year. ^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] The reporting was substantiated by documents that the Guardian claimed were provided to them by healthcare providers operating in Afghanistan.

Suicides per 100,000 people according to the World Health Organization (age adjusted)^[9]
Sex	2000	2010	2015	2016
Both sexes	8.1	7.4	6.6	6.4
Male	14.3	12.5	10.9	10.6
Female	1.7	2.1	2.1	2.1

References

1 2 3 Safi, Sana (July 1, 2018). "Why female suicide in Afghanistan is so prevalent". BBC News. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
↑ "Age-standardized suicide rates (per 100 000 population)". WHO Data. 18 January 2025.
↑ "Age-standardized suicide rates (per 100 000 population)". WHO Data. 18 January 2025.
↑ Nader, Zahra; reporters, Zan Times (2023-08-28). "'Despair is settling in': female suicides on rise in Taliban's Afghanistan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
↑ Coren, Hilary Whiteman, Anna (2023-12-16). "Oppressed by the Taliban, she swallowed acid. Now her siblings are trying to save her life". CNN. Retrieved 2023-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Millender, Michaela (2023-09-07). "IntelBrief: Two Years After the Taliban Takeover, a Surge of Suicides Among Afghan Women". The Soufan Center. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
↑ "Women and Suicide in Afghanistan". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
↑ Afghanistan sees spike in suicide attempts among girls | CNN, 2023-12-18, retrieved 2023-12-27
↑ "Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized Estimates by country". World Health Organization. Retrieved April 26, 2020.

v t e Suicide
History	Suicide in antiquity List of suicides BC 1–999 AD 1000–1899 1900–1999 2000–present Heads of state and government
Mental health	Assessment of suicide risk Suicide crisis Crisis hotline List of suicide crisis lines Suicidal ideation Suicide intervention Prevention Caring letters Prevention contract Suicide watch Suicidology Awareness Warning signs
People	Antidepressants and suicide risk Epidemiology Autistic people Doctors LGBTQ people List Military Music subcultures Prisoners Gender differences Youth
Social aspects	Advocacy Altruistic Interpersonal theory Legislation Philosophy of suicide Suicide survivor bereavement Literature Terminology Suicide and the Internet Social media and suicide Suicide methods Suicide note Suicide attempt Tourism
Types	Assisted suicide Euthanasia Right to die List Charcoal-burning Copycat Epidemic Firearm multiple gunshot Hanging political Jumping from height Locations Mass suicide Vatakkiruttal Sallekhana By train London Underground Self-sacrifice Suicide pact Vehicular Complex Suicide by cop
War and conflict	Bullying List Forced Honor Protest Immolation Hunger strike Murder–suicide Familicide Jonestown Suicide attack Aircraft Belt Car bomb Weapons Suicide mission Suicide pill Killed by police Suicidal pilots WWII Jewish suicides
Religion and Philosophy	Hindu Prayopavesa Sati Abrahamic religions Biblical Samson Judges 16:30 Saul Christian Jewish Penalty [he] Self-sacrifice Islamic 72 virgins Mormon LGBTQ
Location	Afghanistan Australia Bangladesh Belarus Bhutan Cameroon Canada China Dare to Die Corps France Germany Fieseler Fi 103R WWII mass suicides Denmark Greenland Greece Guyana Hong Kong student India youth farmers Iran Iraq bombings since 2003 Ireland Israel Masada myth Olei Hagardom Japan Banzai charge Banzai Cliff Kamikaze Seppuku Sokushinbutsu Special Attack Units Kazakhstan Lesotho Lithuania Mexico Mozambique Micronesia Nepal Nigeria Pakistan bombings Palestine Attacks List Imad al-Alami Romania Russia attacks in the North Caucasus Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa South Korea ideation in LGBTQ youth Spain Sri Lanka bombings Sweden Switzerland Turkey Turkish Armed Forces Ukraine United Kingdom Assisted suicide United States Assisted suicide college farmers military veterans Native American Puerto Rico teenage Uruguay
See also	Aktion T4 Animal suicide Consensual homicide Forlorn hope Last words Martyrdom Christian Islamic Jewish R2-45 Self-harm Senicide
Suicide Country (Bombings)

See also

References

Further reading