Dutch suicide rate lowest level since 2010; More young women, girls taking their lives

Last year, 1,758 people took their own lives in the Netherlands, an average of five suicides per day. The suicide rate was 9.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest rate since 2010. More young people are taking their own lives, with suicides particularly increasing among young women and teenage girls, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Friday.

“The number of suicides among teenagers and people in their twenties has increased over the last 25 years, particularly among young women,” CBS said. Last year, 29 girls aged 10 to 19 took their own lives. The suicide rate among girls in this age group doubled from 1.2 per 100,000 girls between 2000 and 2004 to 2.5 per 100,000 girls between 2020 and 2025.

Among women in their twenties, the suicide rate rose from 4.0 to 6.5 per 100,000 in this same period. “This means that the relative increase is the most significant in this age group,” CBS said.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people under the age of 30. Last year, 22 percent of teenagers and 28 percent of people in their 20s who died took their own lives. In both age groups, the number of suicides was higher than the number of deaths in road traffic accidents.

“Fifty years ago, young people under the age of 30 were the most likely to die in a road traffic accident,” CBS said. “Among teenagers who died in 1975, 33 percent of deaths were a result of road traffic accidents, and 9 percent were suicides. In 2025, 15 percent of young people died in a road traffic accident, and 26 percent died as a result of suicide.”

The number of suicides was more than twice as high among men as among women last year, with 1,205 men and 553 women ending their own lives in 2025. The difference between men and women was most significant among people aged 80 and over, and the smallest among teenagers. Among the elderly, men’s suicide rate is nearly triple that of women’s. Among teenagers, the suicide rate is 1.3 times higher for boys.

Compared to other age groups, the suicide rate was highest among people in their 50s and 60s. “Between 2007 and 2025, suicide rates were the highest among people in their fifties, but in 2025, the rate was highest among people in their sixties. In 2025, 37 percent of all people who ended their lives were in their fifties or sixties,” CBS said.