ZAGREB, August 31, 2018 – Statistics provided by the Ministry of the Interior show that 625 Croatians – 157 women and 468 men – committed suicide in 2017 and that the rate of attempted suicide among children under 14 in 2017 went up by as much as 200%.
These data were presented on Friday on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10.
Close to one million people a year commit suicide globally, and more people commit suicide than are killed in all wars, terrorist attacks and killings combined, says the Croatian association “Životna Linija” (Life Line), which will organise events marking World Suicide Prevention Day.
The number of suicides grew the most in Koprivnica-Križevci County, by as much as 94.4%, while some other counties reported a decline, the association said, noting that suicide was now a major demographic issue affecting the population amidst current negative demographic trends, marked by emigration, negative population growth in 2017, etc.
It called for making a national strategy for suicide prevention. “Neighbouring countries have such strategies and we lag behind them in that regard,” said Tin Pongrac, president of the association.
