Families of suicide victims and mental health specialists in Argentina are raising the alarm following recent statistics showing a historic peak in suicides in the country, which have become the leading cause of death for 15-34 year olds.
According to data from August by the Observatory of Criminal Policy (OPC) and the Ministry of Security, suicides in Argentina reached 5,209 recorded cases in 2025, an increase of 22.6% over the previous year.
With 11.8 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants, Argentina remains far behind a country like Uruguay (191 per 100,000 inhabitants). But it is the trend that is worrying. Since the OPC began counting suicides in 2017, the number has increased by 57.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. There has been a marked increase since 2021 in the wake of the pandemic.
A few days ago, The Argentine Association of Mental Health (AASM) expressed its deep concern faced with what she calls "« serious health and social situation“
“ Suicide is a complex and multi-causal phenomenon, and it would be irresponsible (…) to establish linear causal relationships.«" insists the AASM.
“ But it would be just as irresponsible to ignore the social, economic, and professional conditions (…) in which suffering occurs«" she adds. Citing, among other things, job loss, precarious employment, debt, and difficulties in providing for daily life, which affect «"the links and expectations for the future"“.
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In Buenos Aires, several hundred people, including many relatives of suicide victims, demonstrated last weekend in front of Parliament, demanding "« Raising awareness about suicide, because talking about it is preventing it.«" , Graciela Salazar, mother of a woman who committed suicide in 2023, told AFP.
“ Suicide has multiple causes.«,« insisted Ariana Villarreal, sister of a suicide victim.« But it is a fact that there is a historical debt to mental health in Argentina«" she added, denouncing that a tiny part of the health budget is actually allocated to mental health, below the 10% provided for by a 2010 law on mental health.
In the province of Corrientes (northeast), the local legislature approved at the end of August a law aimed at installing barriers, strengthening video surveillance, lighting, and installing emergency telephones on a bridge in the area which has become a hotspot for suicides in recent years.
According to figures cited at this session of the Provincial Parliament, 327 people have been rescued on this bridge over the Paraná River in the last three years. This includes 105 rescues in 2026, while 13 people have lost their lives there this year.
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