Kerala's high suicide rates can be attributed to low levels of intra-district social connectedness, resulting in weaker in-person social networks, findings of a study in the Economic Survey 2025–26 show.

The study analysed eight major states and found that districts with stronger local social ties tend to report lower suicide death rates. The states covered are Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The survey links social isolation to mental health challenges using the Social Connectedness Index (SCI), which draws on anonymised Facebook data to assess the strength of social ties within communities.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu show a highly dispersed and geographically diffuse online social fabric, suggesting weaker person-to-person social connections. This is reflected in their relatively higher suicide rates. The survey notes that while these states have high levels of digital connectivity, this does not translate into stronger social bonds unless connections are rooted within districts.

In contrast, data from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh indicate that their digital social networks remain largely anchored within district-level communities. This strong local grounding and reliance on in-person social bonds, rather than geographically dispersed online relationships, is linked to their low suicide death rates. Chhattisgarh, however, is identified as an outlier, showing higher within-district connectedness while still recording a high suicide death rate.

The findings do not establish a direct correlation between internet penetration and suicide rates. According to the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data, Kerala has 99 internet connections per 100 people, well above the national average of 68. Instead, the focus is on ‘within-district SCI’, which measures how strongly people living in the same district are connected to one another. The index serves as a proxy for social capital, referring to the resources and support individuals derive from their social networks.

Among the eight states studied, suicide rates were highest in Kerala at 30.6, followed by Telangana at 27.7, Chhattisgarh at 26.0 and Tamil Nadu at 25.3. Uttarakhand recorded a rate of 8.1, Jharkhand 5.1, Uttar Pradesh 3.9 and Bihar the lowest at 0.7. The all-India suicide rate stood at 12.3 per one lakh population (NCRB 2023 data).

City-level data from Kerala show wide variation, with Kollam reporting a suicide rate of 48.6, followed by Thrissur at 27.0, Kannur at 25.3 and Thiruvananthapuram at 24.3. Kozhikode recorded 17.3, Kochi 15.9 and Malappuram 8.4.

The survey cites that excessive digital engagement can weaken peer networks, contribute to sleep deprivation and reduce the social capital that historically acted as a buffer against suicidal ideation. It also flags digital addiction, economic distress and the pressures of modern urban living as emerging risk factors, particularly among young adults, amid a broader rise in suicide rates across the country.