Suicide in the world: toward a population increase theory of suicide

Using recently obtained suicide rates and economic development indicators for 60 countries, this study investigates the effects of modernization on suicide throughout the world. Results support the hypothesis that high suicide rates are related to modernization but with revisions. Although suicide is negatively correlated with population growth indicators and positively correlated with quality of life indicators, in multiple regression analyses with all other factors controlled, the population growth factor is a much better predictor of suicide rates than the quality of life factor. This finding holds true for both developing and developed countries when the two subsamples were tested separately. The population increase theory of suicide is highlighted as an explanation of suicide rates in the world, and ramifications of the theory are discussed.