Suicide in Mexico maintains an upward trend. In 2023, 8,837 cases were registered, equivalent to a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to INEGI.
The preliminary information of 2024 raises the rate to 6.9, compared to 5.4 of 1998, confirming a sustained increase. Male overmortality is evident, since more than four suicides of men occur for each of women, with a rate of 11.5 per 100,000 men, compared to 2.6 in women, explained Álvaro Carrera, head of the Inegi Regional Communication Department.
The data show that poverty is not decisive in the incidence. Guerrero and Chiapas, two of the poorest states in the country, have the lowest rates (2.1 and 4.7 respectively). In contrast, Chihuahua (15), Yucatán (14.3), Campeche and Aguascalientes (10.5) concentrate the highest levels.
In turn, in 2024, the five federative entities with the highest percentages of population in multidimensional poverty were precisely Chiapas, with 66.0%; Guerrero, with 58.1%; Oaxaca, with 51.6%; Veracruz, with 44.5%; and Puebla, with 43.4%.
In contrast, the five entities with the lowest percentages were Baja California, with 9.9%; Baja California Sur, with 10.2%; Nuevo León, with 10.6%; Coahuila, with 12.4%; and Sonora, with 14.1%.
Aguascalientes, for example, is the third entity with the lowest percentage of extreme poverty (0.6%) and, at the same time, is the fourth entity with the highest suicide rate in the country. Chiapas and Guerrero represent the opposite side.
The explanation, according to specialists, is in the community and social network factors: links with nature, community dynamics and neighborhood support can act as protection mechanisms against loneliness and disconnection, even in contexts of economic precariousness.
“In large industrialized cities the risk grows because isolation predominates. But art, music or graffiti can be protection factors when generating belonging,” explained Mental Health specialist, Cathy Calderón de la Barca.
The psychologist highlighted, within the framework of the presentation of the short film “Harmful Words” – realized within the framework of World Day for Suicide Prevention – that in states such as Chiapas, in addition, the strong link with nature and community ties play a decisive role.
This behavior is consistent even with what the last World Happyss Report 2025 revealed, where Mexico occupied the 10th position, among the happiest countries in the world. According to the UN report, the feeling of happiness in the country is closely linked to cultural features linked to large families and pro-social abilities such as donation, share food or help strangers.
This report also notes that while on the one hand the largest households increase emotional satisfaction, on the other hand, they affect the economic well -being of its members. And, in addition, although large families can increase affective satisfaction, this has a limit. Because the positive effect reaches its maximum in the homes of 5 members and begins to decrease from the sixth.
Mental health, without coverage
One of the most serious gaps is the lack of coverage in medical insurance. “Today major medical expenses in Mexico do not cover mental health, and without mental health there is nothing,” said Carlos Barrera, vice president of Canacintra institutional relations. The call is to legislate to include these services in an integral way, he explained and recalled that prevention must also permeate in the work world, with a joint effort between companies and government.
“In Canacintra we have had training in the 76 delegations nationwide and we achieved a certification of standards to establish better work environments, towards our industries (…) Sometimes, a work accident can be caused by a mental problem, then it would be ideal for the IMSS and companies to work together to lower these indices.”
