The number of people who killed themselves in Japan in 2021 came to 20,830, down 251, or 1.2%, from the previous year, the health ministry said in a preliminary report based on police data Friday.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of suicides among working women grew sharply. But the figure fell slightly in 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of people who committed suicide due to economic struggles rose sharply, possibly a result of the prolonged pandemic that featured a string of state of emergency declarations by the government.

The suicide rate, measured by the number of suicides per population of 100,000, stood at 16.5, down 0.2 from the previous year.

“The figure returned to levels before the coronavirus pandemic,” a health ministry official said.

The number of men who committed suicide decreased by 240 to 13,815, down for the 12th straight year, and the number of women fell by 11 to 7,015.

Among suicide cases confirmed between January and November last year, those related to livelihood and economic problems marked the sharpest year-on-year increase, rising by 114 to 3,038. Of those, 990 killed themselves due to “living a hard life,” up 98.

Source: ANNnewsCH