The number of suicides among minors continues to rise in the Czech Republic. According to data from the Police Presidium, in 2024, 46 children took their own lives, which is eight more cases than in 2023. This is the highest figure since 2011, when the new recording system was introduced.
Ondřej Moravčík, a representative of the Police Presidium, reported that for the first time in the history of observations, the share of minors in the total suicide statistics exceeded 2%, reaching 3%. Last year, a total of 1,547 suicides were recorded in the country, of which 1,261 involved males and 286 females.
The most alarming age groups are 13–14 and 15–16 years old, where there has been a sharp increase in tragic cases. According to Moravčík, teenagers face high levels of pressure, especially when transitioning from primary to secondary education, though the exact causes remain unclear.
In the vast majority of cases, children ended their lives by hanging or jumping in front of a train. The youngest victim was only ten years old. Boys commit suicide significantly more often than girls: in 2024, they accounted for 67.4% of all child suicides.
Although there is no centralized statistic on suicide attempts among children in the Czech Republic, the police point to a worrying increase in this area as well. According to Jiří Kutek, former head of the pediatric psychiatric clinic at Prague’s Motol Hospital, the number of hospitalizations of children with suicidal intentions has more than tripled compared to 2016.
Among suicide attempts, poisoning by medication predominates, with the majority of such cases involving girls. Hana Pišová, head of the counseling service “Linka bezpečí,” also confirmed the worsening situation. In 2024, the service recorded 5,869 calls related to suicidal thoughts, which is 23% more than the previous year. According to her, young people experience intense psychological pressure in online spaces and often find themselves emotionally isolated.
Since 2011, there have been 462 recorded cases of suicide among minors in the Czech Republic. In 2024, the most tragedies occurred in the Moravian-Silesian and Plzeň regions, as well as in the Vysočina region.
