11.59
per 100,000 people, 2023
High trust, 85 of 100 The newest data is from 2023.
- WHO register
- WHO estimate
- Eurostat
Recorded change in how a source reports; hover or focus the ring for details.
Show the data as a table
| Year | WHO Mortality Database, deaths by intentional self-harm | WHO Global Health Estimates 2023, self-harm | Eurostat causes of death, crude death rate (hlth_cd_acdr2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.52 | – | – |
| 1981 | 6.93 | – | – |
| 1982 | 9.4 | – | – |
| 1983 | 16.87 | – | – |
| 1984 | 18.37 | – | – |
| 1985 | 13.26 | – | – |
| 1986 | 15.21 | – | – |
| 1987 | 14.64 | – | – |
| 1988 | 14.01 | – | – |
| 1989 | 8.71 | – | – |
| 1990 | 15.7 | – | – |
| 1991 | 14.34 | – | – |
| 1992 | 10.72 | – | – |
| 1993 | 9.86 | – | – |
| 1994 | 9.4 | – | 9.4 |
| 1995 | 10.1 | – | 10.1 |
| 1996 | 12.27 | – | 12.3 |
| 1997 | 12.18 | – | 12.2 |
| 1998 | 10.96 | – | 10.9 |
| 1999 | 11.18 | – | 11.2 |
| 2000 | 17.78 | 14.79 | 17.8 |
| 2001 | 12.63 | 11.84 | 12.6 |
| 2002 | 9.74 | 11.97 | 10.4 |
| 2003 | 8.99 | 12.08 | 9 |
| 2004 | 11.96 | 12.28 | 12 |
| 2005 | 11.15 | 11.09 | 11.1 |
| 2006 | 10.51 | 12.3 | 10.5 |
| 2007 | 11.88 | 13.4 | 11.9 |
| 2008 | 11.9 | 12.83 | 12 |
| 2009 | 11.28 | 13.42 | 11.3 |
| 2010 | 14.46 | 11.89 | – |
| 2011 | 8.46 | 11.71 | 8.46 |
| 2012 | 11.54 | 13.61 | 11.22 |
| 2013 | 15.13 | 14.22 | 14.83 |
| 2014 | 13.44 | 15.05 | 13.13 |
| 2015 | 12.09 | 12.79 | 12.7 |
| 2016 | 11.92 | 11.43 | 12.22 |
| 2017 | 10.08 | 10.83 | 9.9 |
| 2018 | 9.83 | 10.57 | 9.92 |
| 2019 | 11.09 | 11.91 | 10.82 |
| 2020 | 13.2 | 12.91 | 12.83 |
| 2021 | 10.51 | 12.12 | 9.93 |
| 2022 | 9.19 | 10.83 | 9.42 |
| 2023 | 12.39 | 10.79 | 12.71 |
| 2024 | 12.42 | – | – |
All countriesAll of Iceland's figuresCompare
Iceland among 204 countries
47 have a higher figure and 156 a lower one. Definitions differ between countries, and their years run from 2010 to 2024.
What this number counts
- Counts
- Deaths by suicide per 100,000 people (crude rate, all ages, both sexes)
- Where
- Iceland
- When
- 2023 (one year, not an average)
Where the number comes from (3 sources)
| Source | Figure and year | Definition | Quality | Counts for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
WHO Mortality Database, deaths by intentional self-harmWorld Health Organization (WHO) · Death and health registersRetrieved 2026-10-25 | 12.392023 | Registered deaths with underlying cause intentional self-harm, ICD-10 X60-X84, all ages and both sexes, divided by the population in WHO's population file for the same year.Crude rate: deaths of all ages and both sexes divided by the whole population, not adjusted for age, so that the lines can be compared. Codes used: ICD-10 3- and 4-character codes X60-X84. Years where a country reports only a total for all external causes have no value. National rows only, no sub-national or partial-coverage rows. Year rule: the latest year both the register and WHO's estimate have is 2023, which is 2018 or later, so they use it. The yearly series also covers years before this country's WHO data switched to ICD-10; those years count ICD-9 Basic Tabulation List item B54 (E950-E959, suicide and self-inflicted injury) up to 1995; ICD-8 item A147 or B049 (E950-E959, suicide and self-inflicted injury) up to 1980, with population from the same sources. Each switch is listed under reporting changes. Raw files: morticd10_part1-6.zip (47 self-harm deaths) and mort_pop.zip. WHO publishes the data as the country sent them and does not adjust for incomplete registration. The same file records 8 deaths of undetermined intent (Y10-Y34) for this year; some of these may be deaths by suicide. Series years before ICD-10: morticd09.zip, morticd08.zip (WHO, retrieved 2026-10-27). | 5 of 5 checks
| 50% |
WHO Global Health Estimates 2023, self-harmWorld Health Organization (WHO) · Model-based estimateRetrieved 2026-11-02 | 10.792023 | Estimated deaths from self-harm (GHE cause 1610: ICD-10 X60-X84 and Y87.0), all ages and both sexes, per 100,000 people.Crude rate: deaths of all ages and both sexes divided by the whole population, not adjusted for age, so that the lines can be compared. WHO built this estimate from the country's own death registration data, then reassigned ill-defined and some undetermined-intent deaths and scaled the total to WHO's all-cause estimate. WHO gives a range of 33 to 51 deaths around its central estimate of 42 for this year. Year rule: the latest year both the register and WHO's estimate have is 2023, which is 2018 or later, so they use it. Raw file: ghe_full_self_harm.json, WHO DEX_CMS API, table GHE_FULL, loaded by WHO on 21-22 September 2026. The rate equals WHO's estimated deaths divided by its population figure. Years after a country's last usable register year are extrapolated (methods paper, section 4.1). | 5 of 5 checks
| 50% |
Eurostat causes of death, crude death rate (hlth_cd_acdr2)Eurostat · Death and health registersRetrieved 2026-11-02 · Data (API) | 12.712023 | Deaths of residents from intentional self-harm (ICD-10 X60-X84 and Y87.0), all ages and both sexes, per 100,000 inhabitants, national total.Crude rate: deaths of all ages and both sexes divided by the whole population, not adjusted for age, so that the lines can be compared. Year rule: same year as the WHO register line. Raw files: hlth_cd_acdr2.json, and hlth_cd_acdr_1994_2010.json (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/hlth_cd_acdr?format=JSON&geoLevel=country&icd10=X60-X84_Y870&sex=T&age=TOTAL&lang=EN) for the years before 2011. Not counted as a separate source: its death counts (table hlth_cd_aro) match the WHO register's for this country to within 5% in the median year, so both come from the same national death records. | 5 of 5 checks
| Not counted |
- WHO register50%
- WHO estimate50%
Shown but not counted: Eurostat (republishes WHO register).
How the trust score was worked out
- Quality40 / 40
How well the sources are made
- Agreement21.7 / 30
How close the sources are to each other
- Independence16 / 20
How many separate ways the number was measured
- Freshness7 / 10
How recent the newest data is
Who reports it, and since when
- WHO register, 1981: WHO's data for this country switch from ICD-8 to ICD-9 in 1981: self-harm deaths are ICD-9 Basic Tabulation List item B54 (E950-E959, suicide and self-inflicted injury) from 1981, and ICD-8 item A147 or B049 (E950-E959, suicide and self-inflicted injury) up to 1980. source
- WHO register, 1996: WHO's data for this country switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 in 1996: self-harm deaths are ICD-10 codes X60-X84 (intentional self-harm) from 1996, and ICD-9 Basic Tabulation List item B54 (E950-E959, suicide and self-inflicted injury) up to 1995. source
- Eurostat, 2011: Eurostat's series moves from table hlth_cd_acdr (1994-2010) to table hlth_cd_acdr2 (2011 on). Data for 2011 on are the first sent under Commission Regulation (EU) 328/2011, and Eurostat says the series is comparable from 2011 onwards. This line shows both tables in its series. source
- Eurostat: no figure here for 2010
figure no figure here, inside its range no later figure recorded change
Why the numbers differ
- Every line uses the crude rate (all deaths divided by the whole population), so the lines can agree. Crude rates also reflect how old a population is, so they are not the same as age-standardised rates.
- The register line counts only deaths coded X60-X84. Deaths coded as undetermined intent (Y10-Y34) stay outside it, and in 72 countries they equal 25% or more of the self-harm count in the year shown, so how intent is coded changes the rate. Each such line says so. (source, retrieved 2026-10-25)
- WHO's estimate adjusts the register: it reassigns ill-defined deaths, moves some deaths of undetermined intent into causes that include self-harm, and scales totals to its all-cause estimates. Its cause group also adds Y87.0. For countries with no usable register the figure comes from modelling. (source, retrieved 2026-11-02)
- Registration coverage differs. Where many deaths are never registered or have no medically certified cause, the register rate counts only part of the deaths. WHO's estimate can sit above or below the register rate in such countries, because it also rests on modelling.
- Recording rules differ between countries. WHO notes that stigma, and the illegal status of suicidal behaviour in some countries, make under-reporting and misclassification likely. These are differences in how deaths are recorded; the page does not explain the rates themselves. (source, retrieved 2026-11-02)
- Eurostat and the WHO register hold the same national death records, as their death counts show. Eurostat adds Y87.0, counts residents who died abroad and uses its own population, so its rate can differ slightly. It is shown but not counted as a separate source. (source, retrieved 2026-11-02)
Common mistakes
- National suicide statistics can use another definition. For England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics adds deaths of undetermined intent at ages 15 and over and counts self-harm from age 10, so its figures do not match the WHO register line here. (source, retrieved 2026-11-02)
- In countries with small populations a few deaths move the rate a lot, so a single year says little about the level, and WHO blanks very small counts in some files.
- Ranking countries on a modelled figure overstates what is known. WHO itself warns against over-interpreting detailed rankings of deaths by cause or country (methods paper, section 8). (source, retrieved 2026-11-02)
Download, cite and report an error
From the table What is the suicide rate in each country? Updated 2026-11-02.
Download every value in this table (CSV)
Cite as: RealStats, “Suicide rate in Iceland”, updated 2026-11-02, with the original sources listed on the page.