Catalonia sees decline in suicide rates for third year
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In Catalonia, Spain, the number of deaths from suicide and self-harm decreased for the third consecutive year, while the number of attempted suicides receiving emergency care also fell for the first time in recent years.
The Catalan Department of Health recorded 556 deaths by suicide or self-harm in the last year, which corresponds to a standardized rate of 7.7 deaths per 100,000 people, a decrease of 1.5 points from the 9.3 rate recorded in 2022.
The Department of Health connects this downward trend to the implementation of the Catalonia Suicide Prevention Plan 2021-2025, which strengthened the region’s ability to prevent and detect suicidal behaviors. During this period, the regional government launched over 150 initiatives across health, social, educational, and other sectors. They are now preparing a second plan to further improve prevention and early detection.
Three-quarters of the deaths, 413 out of 556, were men, and the highest rates of suicide occurred among those over 85 years old. However, the decline in suicide rates wasn’t uniform across all populations. The Department of Health noted an increase in suicide among men aged 55 to 74 and women aged 40 to 59, which emphasizes the need to tailor preventative strategies to specific risk groups.
In 2025, the 061 telephone hotline, which includes a mental health unit launched in June 2022, handled over 16,000 consultations related to suicidal ideation, averaging 52 calls per day.
