The number of suicides is going down in Lithuania but still exceeds the EU average.

Last year, 654 people took their own lives in Lithuanian compared to 683 in 2018, according to preliminary figures released by the Institute of Hygiene at the Lithuanian Health Ministry.



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"Suicide rates have been going down since 2013, and in 2018, which are the latest final numbers, there were 28 suicides per 100,000 people," Sandra Mekšriūnaitė from the institute told BNS.

The EU's suicide average, based on 2016 numbers, stood at 10 per 100,000 people. The 2019 figures will be available in August.

Suicides are more widespread in Lithuanian regions than in major cities, according to Mekšriūnaitė, with suicides among men being 4–5 times more common than among women.