Railway Suicide in the World
Last update: Aug. 2018
Railway suicides vary from country to country. Therefore, one has to be very careful when drawing conclusions from analyses and preventive measures that have been developed elsewhere. It is also important to note that data in different countries do not necessarily use the same criteria for classifying suicidal deaths. In order to properly compare countries in terms of their suicide mortality, it would be necessary to develop standardised indicators and data collection tools. However, some elements can be identified for comparison in various studies across the world. The following table summarises the main findings.
Country |
Number of railway suicides and suicide attempts |
Railway as proportion of all suicides |
Location of suicides in the railway network | Peak times of year of incidents |
Characteristics of suicidal people | Behaviours on and near the tracks |
ASIA |
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India Badiadka, Dsouza, & Vasu, 2016 |
Kerala 78 railway fatalities, 33 of which were suicides |
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Chowdurry,Dutta & Chowdurry, 2000
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15% psychiatric diagnosis | |||||
Seemeen & Devaraju, 2018 |
Hyderabad and Secunderabad 16% of railway fatalities are suicides (Nov. 2014-Oct. 2016) |
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Japan Araki & Murata, 1986; Kerkhof 2003; Kadotani et al., 2014 |
Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Osaka prefectures 971 suicides (2002-2006) |
6.3% | When there is less sunlight in the prior 7 days, there are more attempts | |||
Ichikawa, Inada, & Kumeji, 2013 | 5,841 suicide attempts (April 2002-March 2012) | Most suicide attempts occur in daytime | ||||
Ueda, Sawada, & Matsubayashi, 2015 |
1 railway company in Tokyo Met. Area 2004-2013: 144 railway suicides |
Stations without platform screen doors (95%) | ||||
EUROPE |
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Twelve (12) countries Havârneanu, Bonneau, Colliard, 2016 |
Even distribution throughout the year Weekdays |
Males, aged between 20-59. Committed by persons alone. |
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Austria Ememrson & Cantor, 1993; Deisenhammer et al., 1997 |
5.7% | 48% close to the Regional psychiatric hospital (Brisbane) | ||||
Koburger et al., 2015 |
2008-2009 : Mean=98.5 railway suicides 2010-11 : Mean=85 |
2008-09: 7.76% 2010-11: 6.675% |
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Belgium Andriessen, Krysinska, 2011 |
91 suicides per year (1998-2009) 80 suicides attempts per year (2003-2009) |
5.3% | Suicides occur in densely populated areas Hotspots Near mental health facilities (>6 suicides per 2 km of track) |
March and June |
54% fatality rate |
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Debbaut, Krysinska, & Andriessen, 2014 | 2003-2009: 664 suicides and 557 suicide attempts on Belgian railway network | 43 railway hotspots identified. Common characteristic of hotspots are: accessibility, anonymity, and vicinity of mental health institution | ||||
Strale, Krysinska, Van Omermeiren, & Andriessen, 2017 | 2008-2013: 563 railway suicides in Belgium (Brussels=58, Wallonia=167, Flanders=338) |
Most frequent in city suburbs, least frequent in central cities and rural areas. Overrepresentation of north-western part of Belgium More suicides in wealthy areas, with more elderly people (higher railway density); less in areas with younger population, more unemployment, and higher population density (lower railway density). |
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Denmark Lindekilde, 1986 |
3.1% | 81% are psychiatric patients (versus 38% for other means) | ||||
Germany Baumert et al., 2006; Erazo et al., 2005; Dinkel et al., 2011; Lukaschek, et al., 2011 |
955 suicides per year (1997-2002) |
7% and increasing | 30% in stations A majority on open track (specially in urban areas) |
April and September for men No seasonal variations for women |
Risk factors for train suicides Railway density Passenger traffic density |
Jumping, lying on track, wandering on tracks
Behaviour prior to the attempt
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Lukaschek et al., 2008; Van Houwellingen et al., 2013; Lukaschek et al., 2014 | 6105 suicides, 8 years (2000-2007) |
Hotspots |
Daily pattern remains stable over time (Monday and Tuesday, between 6:00 and 12:00 and between 18:00 and 24:00) | |||
Krauss, Graw, & Gleich, 2015 | 107 railway suicides (2009-2011) | 10%, fourth most frequent suicide method in the study |
Most often males Mean age (both sexes): 48.3 |
Railway suicide is often the result of a spontaneous decision | ||
Koburger et al., 2015 |
2008-2009 : Mean=794 railway suicides 2010-11 : Mean=875 |
2008-09: 8.32% 2010-11: 8.68% |
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Lukaschek, 2014 | Ca. 3 deaths per day | |||||
Hungary Veress, 1980 |
2.7% | |||||
Koburger et al., 2015 |
2008-2009 : Mean = 119.5 railway suicides 2010-11 : Mean = 133 |
2008-09: 4.845% 2010-11: 5.425% |
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Italy Kerkoff, 2003 |
52% depression 8.4% schizophrenia |
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Netherlands Kerkhof, 2003; van Houwelingen et al., 2001 |
180 suicides per year |
10-14% |
Hotspots Near psychiatric hospitals
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Early evening for men
Morning for women
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74% between 20-59 years old (younger than general suicide) More bipolar and psychotic disorders than with other means Risk factors for train suicides
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van Houwellingen et al., 2013 | 1475 suicides, 8 years (2000-2007) |
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Koburger et al., 2015 |
2008-2009 : Mean=180.5 railway suicides 2010-11 : Mean=208.5 |
2008-09: 12.175% 2010-11: 12.835% |
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Portugal Sousa et al., 2015 |
Northern Portugal 59 railway suicides (2008-2012) |
3.8% (2008-2012) |
Weekdays
Afternoon but not rush hour
No seasonality observed |
Males (1.3 male for each female)
Age: 40-49 for males, 50-59 for females
Under the influence of substance, most often alcohol |
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Slovenia Koburger et al., 2015 |
2008-2009 : Mean=15.5 railway suicides 2010-11 : Mean=19.5 |
2008-09: 3.69% 2010-11: 4.545% |
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Sweden
Ceccato & Uittenbogaard, 2016 |
Stockholm county (2006-2013) 2516 suicides |
53% of suicides north of Central Station. Five clusters identified. Inner city stations identified as hotspots Speed trains Less suicides where barriers along tracks are installed Half of all suicides occur on open tracks (more than 1-KM away from station) |
No seasonality was observed for suicides. Weekdays (esp. Mondays). Small pikes were observed around the rush hours (9 am and 5 pm), the off-peak hours of 3 pm and 7 pm and midnight (12 pm). |
Most victims are men age 45-64. | ||
Radbo et al., 2005
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48 suicides per year (2000-2002)
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6.2% |
Suicides occur in densely populated areas | Most suicides in the daytime |
Male/Female ratio 2.6:1 (similar to other means ) Mean age 43 (younger than other means) |
75% of suicide victims were waiting or loitering close to on the tracks before the train arrived |
Radbo et al., 2012 | Greater Stockholm(2005-2008) 47 collisions, average:1 per month 41 fatal 30 suicides |
93% in stations (including 53% on platforms) Deviates from national patterns (more often on open tracks) Commuter trains |
Weekdays Daytime (afternoon) |
66% male Mean age 40 |
Standing, walking on tracks (37%) Lying, sitting on tracks (30%) Jumping running (30%) |
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Switzerland Steck et al., 2017 |
1991-2013: 156 railway suicides in teenagers (10-18 year-olds) |
26.4% (for teenagers) Railway suicide has increased in past years |
Most railway suicide victims are boys; but in girls, railway suicide is the most common method (30.8% of all suicides). | |||
Turkey Ozdogan et al., 2006 |
65 per year (1997-2003) |
Level crossings | Majority between 20-60 years old | |||
United Kingdom Abott et al., 2003; Clarke, 1994; Farmer et al., 1994; Kerkhof, 2003; Hudson, 1999; Farmer et al., 1991; Symonds, 1985 |
163 per year (1995-1999) | 5% | Clustering near psychiatric hospitals | The majority are seen waiting for the train | ||
Bhui, 2014 | Every year, 350 fatalities on the railway in the UK, 84% of which are believed to be suicides. | 41% of suicide victims have a mental health history | ||||
Ryan, 2017 |
Great Britain Over 250 suicides on the railway each year 257 fatalities in the study |
70% occurred at stations 70% occurred on fast lines |
Daylight Lowest on Sundays Numbers are highest in July and September, lowest in June and August |
Higher proportion of males Mean age (both sexes) = 40.6 |
Most common behavior: jumping or stepping in front of train from platform (n=86) | |
Taylor, Knipe, & Thomas, 2016 |
England and Wales (2000-2013) 2,517 railway suicides (1,985 in males, 532 in females) |
4.1% (England and Wales, 2000-2013) Proportion increased from 3.5% in 2000 to 4.9% in 2013 (men: 3.7 to 5.3%) |
Males, 35-64 years old | |||
OCEANIA |
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Australia De Leo et al., 2008 |
57% treated for schizophrenia (Brisbane) 40.4% with psychiatric diagnosis (in Queensland) 29.8% had alcohol in their blood |
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Too, Bugeja, Milner, McClure, & Spittal, 2017; Too et al., 2016; Too et al., 2015. |
Victoria 2009-2012: 105 railway suicides 2001-2012: 343 |
7% for the state of Victoria (2009-2012) |
2009-2012: 66% male, 34% female. 2001-2012: 71% male, 29% female. Males 14-34 had highest risk. Diagnosis of mental illness Living in area with railway tracks, within a city, with high suicide rate |
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NORTH AMERICA |
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Canada Mishara et Bardon, 2013; Transport Canada, 1996 |
43 per year (1999-2007) | 1.5% | 63% within 1km of home 66% on open tracks 85% in densely populated areas Important variations by province |
July and August |
Males 4:1 43% unemployed, retired, on a pension 46% had a spouse 57% Depression, bipolar 22% were under psychiatric care |
Running from embankment, lie on track, stand/sit on track Very rarely in stations (6%) |
USA McLone, Loharikar, Sheehan, & Mason, 2016 |
Illinois, 2005-2010 |
3.9% |
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Savage, 2016 |
United States: 274 confirmed railway suicides (annual average for 2012, 2013, 2014)
Metropolitan Chicago: 161 apparent railway suicides (2004-2012) |
4% (Chicago) |
Commuter passenger trains (67%) Municipalities with higher income and lower population density (esp. suburbs) |
March-May Friday Between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM |
Significantly higher proportion of 15-24 year-olds More males, but females represent 27% or railway suicides |
Badiadka, Dsouza, & Vasu, 2016