Suicide deaths decline for the first time since before the pandemic

In 2024, the Valencian Community’s suicide rate was 7.9 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Ministry of Health. This suggests that the region had approximately 395 deaths from this cause. Although the counter should be at zero, the rate is the lowest since 2017, with the exception of the 2021 fiscal year, which was impacted by the pandemic, and it is equal to the national average for the first time in nearly a decade. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the suicide rate has decreased by 11.8% from the previous year, when it stood at 8.8 per 100,000 people. The reduction is bigger than the national average, at 7.6%, with only Madrid and Barcelona improving the results, falling 15.9 and 14.5%, respectively.

Men continue to account for 7 out of 10 deaths, with the highest number of recorded cases among those aged 50 to 59, followed by those aged 40 to 49 and those aged 60 to 69. Suicide continues to be the biggest cause of death among those under the age of 30, accounting for 20.9% of all deaths. Furthermore, throughout the first eight years of 2025, there was a 7.4% drop in hospital emergency cases related to self-harm.

After Dana

The decline, for the first time in years, represents a shift in trend that the Ministry of Health described as “historic” in a statement on Wednesday, particularly in light of the 29-0 earthquake, though experts have always stated that the long-term impact on mental health can last up to five years. The numbers for 2024 only cover the two months following the tragedy, which killed 228 people and injured up to six areas.

“Where there would be an increase in or a worsening of mental health -, explains the general director of Mental Health and Addictions, Bartolomé Pérez , one of those who has insisted on the future consequences of the psychological impact on victims -, the incidence of serious cases has been reduced thanks to the immediate deployment of mental health services that acted from the first days to prevent complications, especially post-traumatic stress.” In this regard, Marciano Gómez’s department highlights the establishment of seven post-traumatic stress units in the affected regions’ hospitals, which had treated more than 2,000 people as of June; as well as the increase in specialised mental health staff over the last two years: 200 in 2024 and 431 new positions in 2025.

Legislative changes

Suicide has emerged as a major societal issue, with political and legal implications. Dolours López, a Valencian activist, introduced a popular legislative initiative in the Congress of Deputies at the beginning of the year, supported by more than 500,000 signatures, to repeal Clause 93 of the Insurance Contract Law, which allows insurance companies to waive suicide compensation for family members if the incident occurs within the first year of taking out the policy.

Similarly, the PSPV-PSOE has submitted a non-legislative motion (PNL) urging the Consell to assume the costs associated with suicide attempts through a specific fund in the regional budgets’ Emergency area.

Author: Derek Appleton