Out of the 4.9 million deaths reported in the European Union (EU) in 2014, 58 000 (1.2%) were due to intentional self-harm. Almost 8 in 10 suicides (77%) were committed by men and about half (48%) by a person aged between 40 and 65.

In absolute terms, Germany (10 300 deaths) and France (9 100) were the two Member States recording the most suicides in 2014, followed by Poland (6 000), the United Kingdom (4 500), Italy (4 100) and Spain (3 900).

However, for a relevant country comparison, these absolute numbers need to be adjusted to the size and structure of the population.

Suicide rate highest in Lithuania, lowest in Greece and Cyprus

With 32 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants, Lithuania registered by far the highest rate of suicide among the EU Member States. It was followed by Latvia, Hungary and Slovenia (all with 19 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants), Estonia (18), Belgium and Croatia (both 17). At the opposite of the scale, the lowest rates of suicide were recorded in Greece and Cyprus (both with 5 suicides per 100 000 inhabitants), Italy (6), the United Kingdom (7), Spain and Malta (8). At EU level, the suicide rate stood on average at 11 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2014.