717 commit suicide in Finland in 2020

A total of 717 people committed suicide in the country in 2020 and the number is 29 lower than in the year before, according to Statistics Finland.

The number of suicides committed by men decreased from the previous year’s 567 to 529.

By contrast, the number of suicides committed by women remained almost unchanged. The vast majority or three-quarters of those who committed suicide were still men.

The average age of those who committed suicide was 44 for women and 46 for men in 2020.

In 2020, altogether 55,500 persons died in Finland, which is around 1,500 more than in the year before.

However, relative to the population size and age structure, total mortality did not grow in 2020 from the previous year, but remained almost unchanged for both men and women.

According to the statistics on causes of death, diseases of the circulatory system, neoplasms and memory diseases still caused the highest number of deaths in 2020.

Three-quarters of the deceased, over 42,000 persons, died of these diseases.

Nearly 4,700 Finns died of suicides, accidents and alcohol-related causes of death, which was slightly fewer than in the year before.