Suicide Rate in Kuwait

Kuwait Upto Date • June 12, 2015 • 0 Comments

Kuwait placed among very low Suicide Rate Countries

Prior to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990, suicides were almost unheard of in Kuwait. However, there has been a notable increase in the referrals of suicide cases to the forensic authorities since then. A review of suicide cases was performed to investigate the demographics of this phenomenon and the suicide modalities used and to uncover issues that can be addressed by the region’s government.

Methods: The sole source of data was the general department of criminal evidence (GDCE), where cases are referred by police authorities and by hospital investigators from the entire country. All cases signed out by forensic investigators as ‘suicide’during the time period 2003-2009 were retrieved.

A full review of the data from the case files was made. This included demographic data, scene examination, radiographic investigations, autopsies with histo-pathological examination findings and toxicological screening results in each case.

Results: A total of 347 cases were retrieved and studied.

Hanging was found to be the most common suicide modality used by subjects (60Â %). Non-citizens constituted 87Â % of cases, and no significant difference was found between married and single subjects or between Muslims and non-Muslims. Regions that were more populated with an expatriate labour force had the highest suicide prevalence.

Conclusion: The government of Kuwait needs to investigate the dire conditions in which some expatriates live and to improve their situation. More control over the dispensing of certain medications needs to be enforced.

Finally, strict firearm control could help reduce the suicide rates in Kuwait.

Author: Salah Al-WaheebNadia Al-Kandary
Credits/Source: BMC Public Health 2015, 15:527

Kuwait Ranked 184 out of 192, among countries of very low suicide rate

1	Guyana	32.5	65	Kenya	10.1	129	Togo	5.1
2	Lithuania	31.2	66	Denmark	10.1	130	Andorra	5.0
3	Kazakhstan	31.1	67	Canada	9.9	131	Timor-Leste	4.9
4	Swaziland	25.3	68	Slovakia	9.8	132	Jamaica	4.9
5	Russia	23.4	69	Norway	9.7	133	Liberia	4.9
6	Malawi	23.3	70	Sudan	9.7	134	Tonga	4.9
7	Belarus	22.9	71	Romania	9.7	135	Brunei	4.8
8	Suriname	22.5	72	Indonesia	9.7	136	Paraguay	4.8
9	Namibia	22.3	73	Nicaragua	9.6	137	Nauru	4.8
10	Cote d Ivoire	21.5	74	Eritrea	9.5	138	Micronesia	4.7
11	Laos	21.3	75	Equ. Guinea	9.4	139	Macedonia	4.7
12	Latvia	20.6	76	Rwanda	9.3	140	Sao Tome	4.7
13	South Korea	20.1	77	Bulgaria	9.2	141	Senegal	4.6
14	Japan	19.8	78	Ireland	9.2	142	Mali	4.6
15	Somalia	19.1	79	Germany	9.1	143	Cambodia	4.6
16	India	19.1	80	Argentina	9.1	144	Saint Lucia	4.6
17	Zambia	18.9	81	Cameroon	9.0	145	Madagascar	4.6
18	Hungary	17.9	82	Singapore	8.4	146	Mexico	4.5
19	Mozambique	17.7	83	Angola	8.4	147	Vanuatu	4.5
20	Finland	17.7	84	Guinea-Bissau	8.3	148	Italy	4.5
21	Uganda	17.6	85	Ecuador	8.2	149	Israel	4.3
22	Moldova	17.1	86	Bahrain	7.8	150	Libya	4.2
23	Ukraine	16.9	87	Australia	7.8	151	Malta	4.2
24	Estonia	16.3	88	Bosnia/Herzeg.	7.7	152	Algeria	4.1
25	Bhutan	16.2	89	Chad	7.7	153	Afghanistan	4.1
26	Lesotho	16.2	90	Zimbabwe	7.7	154	San Marino	4.0
27	Belgium	15.7	91	Seychelles	7.5	155	Palau	3.9
28	Thailand	15.6	92	Portugal	7.5	156	Solomon Isl.	3.8
29	Slovenia	15.5	93	Netherlands	7.4	157	Niue	3.8
30	Congo	15.1	94	South Africa	7.4	158	Iran	3.7
31	Turkmenistan	14.9	95	Burkina Faso	7.4	159	Tajikistan	3.7
32	Central Africa	14.5	96	Guatemala	7.4	160	Oman	3.6
33	Poland	14.4	97	Ghana	7.3	161	Venezuela	3.6
34	Uruguay	14.0	98	Gabon	7.1	162	Fiji	3.6
35	Ethiopia	14.0	99	Mauritania	7.1	163	North Korea	3.5
36	Mongolia	13.7	100	Costa Rica	7.0	164	Armenia	3.4
37	France	13.6	101	United Kingdom	6.9	165	Lebanon	3.3
38	Bangladesh	13.5	102	Saint Vincent	6.8	166	Cook Islands	3.3
39	Iceland	12.9	103	Mauritius	6.7	167	Niger	3.1
40	Monaco	12.7	104	Tuvalu	6.7	168	Cyprus	2.9
41	Switzerland	12.6	105	Panama	6.6	169	Georgia	2.7
42	Botswana	12.2	106	Sierra Leone	6.6	170	Greece	2.6
43	China	12.1	107	Viet Nam	6.5	171	Dominica	2.5
44	Croatia	12.1	108	Benin	6.5	172	Philippines	2.5
45	Pakistan	12.0	109	Honduras	6.4	173	Turkey	2.2
46	Austria	11.8	110	Myanmar	6.4	174	Tunisia	2.0
47	Sweden	11.7	111	Nepal	6.3	175	Qatar	1.9
48	Sri Lanka	11.6	112	Uzbekistan	6.3	176	Grenada	1.7
49	Czech Republic	11.5	113	Comoros	6.1	177	Morocco	1.7
50	Kyrgyzstan	11.4	114	Iraq	6.1	178	Bolivia	1.7
51	DR Congo	11.4	115	Nigeria	6.1	179	Peru	1.6
52	Tanzania	11.2	116	Albania	6.1	180	Barbados	1.4
53	Guinea	11.2	117	Colombia	6.0	181	Egypt	1.4
54	Trinidad/Tob.	11.1	118	Saudi Arabia	5.9	182	Arab Emirates	1.3
55	New Zealand	11.1	119	Cape Verde	5.9	183	Haiti	1.3
56	Luxembourg	10.9	120	Brazil	5.8	184	Kuwait	1.2
57	Marshall Isl.	10.9	121	Spain	5.6	185	Maldives	1.1
58	Serbia/Monten.	10.8	122	Gambia	5.5	186	Bahamas	0.7
59	Chile	10.7	123	Yemen	5.4	187	Jordan	0.7
60	Burundi	10.7	124	Djibouti	5.4	188	Malaysia	0.6
61	Cuba	10.5	125	Belize	5.3	189	Antigua/Bar.	0.6
62	El Salvador	10.5	126	Samoa	5.1	190	Saint Kitts	0.6
63	United States	10.3	127	Dominican Rep.	5.1	191	Syria	0.5
64	New Guinea	10.2	128	Azerbaijan	5.1	192	Kiribati	0.0