Are suicide and poverty associated in low and middle income countries?

Over 800 000 people die by suicide every year – approximately one person every 40 seconds. Three out of four suicides take place in low and middle income countries where the majority of the world’s population live and where poverty is concentrated. Evidence supports a positive association between suicide and poverty in low-income and middle-income countries at the individual level. As a result of limited data it is not possible to draw firm conclusions about the association between poverty and suicide at the national level. These are the findings from our recent systematic review. The review was conducted by LSE in collaboration with the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University.