Farm Suicides Dip Slightly in 2024, But India Still Records One Death Every Hour: NCRB

 

New Delhi, May 7: India recorded 10,546 suicides among people engaged in the farming sector in 2024, according to the latest Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2024 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Although the figure marks a slight decline from 10,786 cases reported in 2023, the numbers continue to highlight the deep distress in the agricultural sector, with nearly 28 farmers and agricultural labourers dying by suicide every day — roughly one every hour.

The report stated that farm-sector suicides accounted for 6.2 per cent of the country’s total suicides in 2024, which stood at 170,746 cases. While the highest number of such deaths was recorded in 2022 at 11,290, the gradual decline over the last two years has not translated into significant improvement on the ground.

A major concern highlighted by the data is the growing number of suicides among agricultural labourers compared to cultivators. Of the 10,546 total farm-sector suicides, about 56 per cent — or 5,913 deaths — were agricultural labourers dependent mainly on daily wages from farming activities. This was the second-highest figure in the last five years.

The trend reflects a changing rural economy where many agricultural households increasingly rely on wage labour rather than income from cultivation alone. In 2020, agricultural labourers accounted for 47.75 per cent of total farm-sector suicides. Their share has steadily risen since 2021.

Meanwhile, suicides among cultivators also showed a slight increase in proportional share during 2024. Cultivators accounted for 43.93 per cent of total farm-sector suicides, marginally higher than 43.48 per cent recorded in 2023. This increase comes after a steady decline in their share since 2021.

Among states, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of farm-sector suicides with 3,824 deaths, contributing over 36 per cent of all such cases in the country. The State also witnessed large-scale crop damage in 2024, with over 20 lakh hectares of cropped area reportedly affected by extreme weather events such as floods. This accounted for nearly half of the total crop area damaged nationwide due to climate-related disasters.

Karnataka recorded the second-highest number of suicides at 2,971 cases and also saw the sharpest rise among major states, registering a 22.61 per cent increase compared to 2023. Other states with high numbers included Madhya Pradesh with 835 cases, Andhra Pradesh with 780, Tamil Nadu with 503, and Chhattisgarh with 486.

While Andhra Pradesh remained among the states with the highest number of cases, it recorded a decline of nearly 16 per cent compared to the previous year.

Among Union Territories, Puducherry reported the steepest increase. After recording no farm-sector suicides between 2019 and 2022, the Union Territory reported 10 cases in 2023, which surged to 33 in 2024 — all involving agricultural labourers. This represented a 230 per cent increase within a single year.

Experts believe the NCRB data underscores persistent structural challenges in Indian agriculture, including rising input costs, climate-related crop losses, unstable incomes, indebtedness, and dependence on seasonal wage labour.