Argentina, South Korea confront growing youth suicide crisis

Authorities in Argentina and South Korea are raising concerns over a sharp increase in suicide rates among young people, despite the different social and economic conditions in the two countries.

In Argentina, suicide is currently the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 34, according to data from police authorities (OPC) and the National Security Ministry, as Buenos Aires-based news outlets report. 

While Argentina's overall rate of 11.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants remains below neighbouring Uruguay's 19.16, authorities are particularly concerned about the recent increase. The OPC recorded a 57.6 percent rise in suicide among people aged 15 to 34 since 2017 and a 22.6 percent increase from the previous year.

The latest figures prompted dozens of bereaved relatives to protest in Buenos Aires over the weekend. Demonstrators said their aim was to "raise awareness about suicide, because talking is prevention."

The Asociación Argentina de Salud Mental (Argentine Association of Mental Health, AASM) also described the situation as "a serious public health and social situation."

Suicide is "a complex phenomenon" that should not be reduced "to a single explanation or to establishing linear causal relationships," the organization said.

"But it would be just as irresponsible to ignore the social, economic and professional conditions...in which suffering occurs," it added, pointing to factors including job losses, growing insecurity and debt.

Argentina has also been facing economic difficulties, with unemployment reaching 7.9 percent in the second quarter of this year, its highest level since the pandemic.

Across the Pacific

Several thousand kilometres away, South Korea has also reported a significant increase in suicide among schoolchildren, with government data showing the number reached a record high in 2025, as highlighted in an article by The Straits Times.

A total of 244 cases were recorded among elementary, middle and high school students last year, up 10.4 percent from 221 in 2024 and 64.9 percent from 148 in 2020.

The number increased in Seoul, Busan and South Gyeongsang province. Gyeonggi province, which has the country's largest student population, recorded 51 cases, down from 63 in 2024 and its lowest total since 2021.

Government data listed family issues as reported contributing factors in 77 cases, mental health issues in 58, academic and career concerns in 54 and interpersonal relationships in 38. The main contributing factors were unknown in 79 cases, while more than one factor could be recorded for each case.

In June, the South Korean government announced a nationwide strategy for teenage suicide prevention, setting a goal of reducing the suicide rate in that age group by roughly half by 2035.

“The Education Ministry, metropolitan and provincial education offices, district education offices and schools must all work to prevent children from taking their own lives,” Representative Kim Moon-soo of the Democratic Party of Korea, who obtained the figures from the Ministry of Education, said.

“We need to strengthen related policies, including the student mental health support programmes already under way.”

Comparative data on youth suicide trends worldwide remains difficult to obtain. However, the 2025 KidsRights Index report identified an association between problematic social media use and deteriorating mental health.

Research cited in the report has also found an association between heavy internet and social media use and increased suicide attempts among people under 19 in countries and regions including Türkiye, Austria, other parts of Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Canada and China.

By Nazrin Sadigova