When life feels closed from all sides: Iraq’s rising suicide cases
Shafaq News
In Iraq’s Mosul, Samir (pseudonym), a 27-year-old man, ended his life inside his home after months of psychological strain and mounting family pressure. Hundreds of kilometers away, in the village of Al-Qasab in Sinjar, 15-year-old Mira (also a pseudonym) died under similar conditions, shaped by years of social instability and emotional isolation. These stories are now part of a growing crisis quietly unfolding across Iraq.
Between January and early April 2025, Baghdad’s Police Directorate registered 64 suicide cases across Al-Rusafa and Al-Karkh, reflecting sustained pressure that many could no longer endure. Further north, in Nineveh, 74 cases were documented in 2024, the highest among all provinces.
A 2025 report from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs indicated that the national monthly average ranged between 55 and 70. The same report showed that Iraq recorded approximately 1,100 cases in 2022, rising to around 1,300 in 2023 and approaching 1,500 in 2024, an upward trajectory pointing to an urgent social problem.
Identity in Crisis
Young Iraqis bear the brunt of this crisis, with individuals aged between 18 and 35 —representing more than a third of the nation’s population— accounting for the majority of suicide cases. Speaking to Shafaq News, Dr. Samah Ramadan, a researcher in educational psychology and social affairs, described why this stage of life carries heightened risk.
“This age [18 to 30] is the most dangerous stage psychologically. You’re not a child anymore, but you’re not settled as an adult. In Iraq, this stage is broken. You finish school, university, and then nothing opens. No job, no clear future. So pressure stays inside.”
Her assessment pointed to social exhaustion rather than illness. “Many of these young people are not ‘sick’. They are exhausted socially. They feel useless, invisible. Society keeps asking them to succeed, but gives them no tools,” she remarked.
Yet, men and women experience these pressures differently. Young men, whose identity is closely tied to employment and economic contribution, often face a gradual erosion of dignity. “In our society, work is dignity. When a young man stays home, depending on family, he starts to feel like a burden. This feeling eats a person slowly, not suddenly,” Ramadan reflected.
Women, meanwhile, confront pressures linked to control, restriction, and fear of shame. “Sometimes there is no space to talk. Emotional pain stays hidden more. Society doesn’t see it until it’s too late.”
Read more: A nation in trauma: Iraq's mental health crisis deepens
Masked Tragedies
The crisis is not limited to cities or visible statistics. Across Iraq —from the plains of Nineveh, through central Diyala and Kirkuk, to southern Dhi Qar and Basra— suicide has surfaced in communities once considered insulated.
In rural areas, incidents often remain concealed, shaped by stigma, limited medical documentation, and informal handling of deaths that leave many cases uncounted. Suicide in Iraq, however, emerges from a complex intersection of forces, and relative to population size, some districts may shoulder a heavier burden than official figures suggest.
Economic hardship —persistent unemployment, low wages, mounting debt, and delayed salaries— creates a sense of entrapment, particularly among young men. While official indicators suggest partial improvement, the Ministry of Planning noted that unemployment, which reached 16.5% in 2022, fell to 13% at the start of 2025, reflecting a clear improvement in the country’s employment landscape. For many young people, however, this macro-level shift has yet to translate into personal stability or secure livelihoods.
Families, often unintentionally, intensify these strains through expectations around marriage, financial contribution, and constant comparison with peers. “Parents compare, your cousin did this, and your friend did that. Inside, the young person feels like they failed everyone,” Ramadan explained. These pressures unfold within fragile family structures, as Supreme Judicial Council monthly records show Iraq registering between 25,000 and 42,000 divorce cases per month in 2025, reflecting widespread domestic strain and social instability.
Mental health struggles, while widespread, frequently remain unseen, with depression, anxiety, and withdrawal often going unrecognized, while stigma discourages seeking help. “If a young man says ‘I’m tired psychologically,’ people respond with: be strong, don’t complain. So he shuts up. Silence is very dangerous,” she warned.
Meanwhile, institutions remain ill-equipped for early intervention. Schools and universities often misread warning signs as behavioral issues rather than emotional collapse. Social media deepens isolation, reinforcing constant comparison with curated images of success. “Everyone looks rich, happy, traveling. Yet they are stuck. This comparison creates a strong feeling of failure,” Ramadan observed.
Speaking to Shafaq News, civil activist Ahmed Al-Diyabi recounted that many victims had previously posted warning signs on social media that went unnoticed. In turn, psychologist Iman Al-Rawi framed the issue more broadly, portraying suicide as no longer solely linked to psychological disorders, but as the outcome of accumulated social and economic pressure alongside an almost total absence of mental health care.
“Overlaying these pressures are decades of collective trauma. Wars, displacement, ISIS occupation, and repeated economic crises have left deep scars across communities,” Al-Rawi added, noting that even during calmer periods, chronic stress has become a normalized backdrop to daily life, shaping behavior and identity across generations.
Read more: Student suicide epidemic in Iraq: understanding causes and urgent actions
The Warning Sign
Although Iraq’s suicide rate remains below international averages, a 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) report estimated it at 4.1 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with a global rate of 10.5 per 100,000. In its assessment, WHO cautioned that societies enduring prolonged political, economic, and social instability are witnessing a slow yet persistent rise in suicide cases, particularly among younger generations.
Read more: A growing shadow: can Iraq stem the tide of rising suicides?
Iraq, according to Al-Diyabi, reflects this pattern, with the core problem rooted in the absence of prevention and the dominance of judgment and blame.
“When society treats suicide only as a crime or a sin, people hide their pain,” Ramadan stressed, arguing that Iraq needs prevention rather than reaction and, above all, an end to blaming young people for a system that failed them.
In Iraq today, suicide can no longer be confined to statistics or police records. It has emerged as a stark societal warning, exposing the cumulative toll of economic pressure, social fragmentation, and deep, unresolved psychological exhaustion. As Ramadan concluded, “Young people don’t want to die. They want life to make sense. When life feels closed from all sides, despair starts talking louder.”
Read more: Youth in despair, no jobs to share: Iraq’s workforce hanging in the air
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
