9 September 2025, Cairo, Egypt – Each year, on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) – organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and co-sponsored by WHO – focuses global attention on suicide prevention, uniting communities, organizations and governments with the shared belief that suicidal behaviour is a major public health problem, one that must be addressed through raising awareness and promoting open discourse on this taboo subject.
Changing the Narrative on Suicide, the triennial theme for WSPD 2024–2026, aims to do just that, to inspire individuals, communities, organizations and governments to engage in open and honest discourse about suicide and suicidal behaviour.
More than 720 000 people die from suicide every year. In 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds, with 73% of suicides occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2019, suicide rates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have declined by 17%.
For each suicide, there are an estimated 20 suicide attempts. Each life lost has profound social, emotional and economic consequences, deeply affecting families, friends, workplaces and communities. The stigma surrounding suicide often prevents individuals from seeking help in a timely manner on one hand and hindering the development of evidence-based health and social care policies and services on the other.
Suicidal behaviour is influenced by a complex interplay of social, cultural, economic, biological, psychological and environmental factors. Mental health conditions, experiencing conflict, disaster, loss, discrimination, violence, abuse, relationship problems, chronic pain and illness
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