Over 1,34,000 suicides were reported in 2018. (Representational)
An average 35 unemployed and 36 self-employed people committed suicide every day in 2018, with the two categories together accounting for 26,085 suicides during the year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
The number of unemployed people committing suicide (12,936) was slightly less than self-employed people (13,149), while both categories outnumbered those working in the farming sector - 10,349 -- in 2018, data showed.
Overall, 1,34,516 suicides were reported in the country during 2018, showing an increase of 3.6 per cent in comparison to 2017. Suicide rate, which means deaths per one lakh population, also increased by 0.3 per cent during 2018 over 2017, NCRB stated.
"Housewives accounted for 54.1 per cent of women who committed suicide (22,937 out of 42,391) and constitute nearly 17.1 per cent of suicides during 2018," the NRCB said in its report released recently.
"Government servants accounted for 1.3 per cent (1,707) of suicides compared to 6.1 per cent (8,246) of private sector employees. Self-employed people accounted for 9.8 per cent of suicides (13,149)," it added.
According to the NCRB, 10,349 people from farming sector (consisting of 5,763 farmers or cultivators and 4,586 agricultural labourers) committed suicide during 2018, accounting for 7.7 per cent of suicides.
The maximum number of suicides were reported in Maharashtra (17,972) followed by 13,896 suicides in Tamil Nadu, 13,255 in West Bengal, 11,775 in Madhya Pradesh and 11,561 in Karnataka, data showed.
These five states together accounted for 50.9 per cent of the total suicides reported in the country, it added.