Suicide number per 100 000 population among OECD countries, year 2004 or latest:
And cross reference this to happiness score here.
Japan and Korea have the highest suicide rate, accounted 20.3 and 18.7 persons per 100 000 population. In West, Finland and Belgium rank the highest number of people commited suicide: 18.4. However, it is noted that Finland score the second highest happiness score when asked “how happy you are” among europeans, as high as 8.06 out of 10, and Belgium 7.75 out of 10 scale. On the other hand, the less happier people in Europe, as in the happiness score list shown, like Italy and Greece (6.46 and 6.50 respectively) have less people commit suicide, as low as 2.9 and 5.6 people out of 100 000 population in Greece and Italy respectively. Why?
source:
OECD Social Indicator
small-m 
zewt said,
May 4, 2007 at 5:30 am
i guess happy ppl do commit suicide too huh… after all, we all wanna end it while we are up there. how about those malaysian students who commit suicide while studying overseas? are those considered malaysian or overseas ppl?
micpohling said,
May 4, 2007 at 6:03 am
Well, my guess it that it might not accounted into it, but it does, the number would be significantly low, just my guess.
Somehow i think the happiness score and suicide link here could be telling us one thing: Italian or Greek might not as happy as other europeans, but they are resilient and tough enough to endure the hardship, like the saying, when the going get tough, the tough gets going. On the other hand, my husband told me that most Finnish killed themselves in autumn time: the weather is too depressing and gloomy all the time. But I am not sure how this explain Belgium, France or Austria. They seem like a very nice place to live…
mich said,
May 4, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Actually, my husband comes up with a brilliant possibility: he said that most of the unhappy people in finland killed themselves, that’s why the left over or the happier bunch push up the happiness score! That make some sense!
World: Morale - Suicide « small-m said,
June 13, 2007 at 11:54 am
[…] The opinion on suicide should be compared to the actual suicide rate (2004) in these countries as well, as shown in the graph […]