Quick summary: Men accounted for 78% of recorded suicide deaths in Ecuador, while rising adolescent deaths highlight the need for earlier mental health support. Prevention policies should reflect regional differences and the needs of different age groups, including older adults who also face high suicide rates. The researchers recommend school programmes that identify distress early and stronger community mental health services, particularly in the Highlands and Amazon regions.
Suicide prevention in Ecuador needs to reach young people and men more effectively, according to research showing marked differences in deaths across the country. The findings also suggest that where people live should shape how mental health support is planned and delivered.
The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, analysed 10,297 recorded suicide deaths between 2015 and 2023. Researchers at Universidad UTE in Quito used national mortality records to examine differences by age, sex and province.
Men accounted for 78% of deaths, or 8,027 cases, compared with 2,270 among women. Among male deaths, 28% involved people aged 20–29, while 36% of female deaths involved those aged 10–19.
Those figures describe the distribution of deaths, rather than each age group’s likelihood of dying by suicide. The researchers found that older adults also faced high suicide rates, underlining the need to consider population size when identifying groups requiring support.
Across both sexes, suicide deaths among people aged 10–19 showed an upward trend from 2021 onwards. The authors identified adolescent suicide prevention as a priority, alongside efforts to improve access to mental health services.
Nationally, the number of recorded deaths was highest in 2016, at 1,235, and lowest in 2021, at 902. It subsequently rose to 1,160 in 2022 and 1,179 in 2023, although the study cannot establish what caused those changes.
In 2023, the recorded male suicide rate was 10.5 deaths per 100,000 men, compared with 3.5 per 100,000 women. The female rate increased from 2.9 in 2022, while the male rate fell slightly from 11 deaths per 100,000 over the same period.
The geographical analysis covered Ecuador’s 24 provinces and grouped them into five categories according to how their suicide rates changed over time. Provinces in the Highlands and Amazon regions generally recorded higher rates than those along the coast.
Several provinces, including Azuay, Cañar and Cotopaxi, belonged to a group with persistently high rates. Napo and Zamora Chinchipe showed sharper fluctuations, with high peaks followed by declines, highlighting why national averages can conceal differences in local patterns.
Around 71% of recorded deaths involved urban residents, while 53% occurred among residents of the Highlands. These shares should not be confused with relative risk, because the size of each population also affects how many deaths are recorded.
The authors recommend school programmes that identify distress early, support emotional well being and connect young people with appropriate care. They also call for stronger community mental health services and prevention measures adapted to local cultural circumstances.
The research was observational and examined population patterns, so it cannot explain why an individual died or prove that particular social conditions caused suicide. Death records may also miss cases or misclassify them, especially in areas where stigma affects reporting.
Analysing whole provinces can hide differences between neighbourhoods and communities, and the records lacked detailed clinical and psychological information. The authors want further research combining statistical analysis with people’s accounts of barriers to care, particularly in places with persistently high rates.
