Malaga suicide rate is highest in Spain

THE suicide rate in Malaga Province is the highest in Spain. There were 144 suicides in the province in 2010, almost double the number of deaths in traffic accidents, new National Institute of Statistics data shows.

This figure is the highest average per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain, and while the general tendency in Spain is that the number of suicides is falling.

Regionally figures across Andalucia are rising.

It was also revealed that suicide is the main cause of unnatural death in Malaga province.

Contrary to what some might expected, the number of suicides in the province has fallen by more than 30 a year since the onset of the financial crisis.

This, experts say, is mainly because the principal cause for suicide is mental illness, which accounts for 90 per cent of cases. In around 60 per cent of cases, suicide victims warned of their intentions.

Most of those who committed suicide in Malaga in 2010 were aged 35-49 and between 55-64.

There were 11 who were aged under 30, all of them men.

Although more men commit suicide, there is a higher number of failed attempts amongst women. This is mainly attributed to men’s reluctance to ask for help and their greater tendency towards violent action.

Meanwhile, Malaga has the third highest number of manslaughters in Spain, beaten only by Barcelona and Valencia, a report from the Interior Ministry shows.

The number of cases of manslaughter rose by 3.1 per cent in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2011.

By Jennifer Leighfield