Cyprus and Greece recorded the lowest suicide rates in the European Union in 2023, according to new figures released by Eurostat. The two Mediterranean countries stood far below the EU average, with Cyprus reporting 3.5 deaths per 100,000 residents and Greece close behind at 4.3, making them the safest places in the bloc by this measure.
Across the European Union, 48,370 people died by suicide in 2023, accounting for 1% of all deaths recorded that year, Eurostat data shows. That works out to what statisticians call a “standardised death rate” of 10.4 per 100,000 people, a slight decline from 10.6 in 2022 and a sharper drop from 12.2 a decade earlier, in 2013.
EU suicide rates vary sharply by country, gender and age
Malta posted the third-lowest rate in the bloc, at 5.5 per 100,000, not far off the figures seen in Cyprus and Greece.
At the other end of the scale, Lithuania recorded the highest suicide rate in the EU, at 18.8 per 100,000, more than five times higher than Cyprus. Slovenia followed at 16.4, and Hungary at 16.1, both figures far above the results reported in southern Europe.
48 370 EU residents died as a result of intentional self-harm in 2023.
Highest number of deaths by suicide per 100 000 residents in:
🇱🇹Lithuania (18.8)
🇸🇮Slovenia (16.4)Lowest in:
🇨🇾Cyprus (3.5)
🇬🇷Greece (4.3)Read more 👉https://t.co/wogXbXQwnT#WorldSuicidePreventionDay pic.twitter.com/zQPWbuhPXH
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) September 9, 2026
The data also revealed a stark gender divide. Men died by suicide at more than three times the rate of women across the EU, with 16.9 deaths per 100,000 men compared with 5.0 per 100,000 women, based on crude death rates.
Men accounted for more than three in four suicide deaths in the bloc, or 76.4% of the total, Eurostat said. That share varied by country, ranging from 70.2% in the Netherlands to as high as 90.3% in Malta.
Cyprus and Greece lead a broader pattern in EU suicide rates
Age played a role as well. Death rates from suicide climbed steadily with age, from just 0.2 per 100,000 among people younger than 15 to 17.3 among those 65 and older, the figures showed. Men had higher rates than women in nearly every age group, the exception being children under 15, where rates for both sexes were nearly identical.
The findings place Cyprus and Greece, the two EU countries with the lowest suicide rates, at the center of a broader pattern in which southern member states report markedly lower numbers than those in central and eastern Europe.
If you are experiencing emotional distress or thoughts of suicide, you can call 116 123 for free, confidential support anywhere in the EU. The number connects you to a local crisis service in your country. If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call 112, the EU’s emergency line.
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