Japan vs South Africa: Number of suicides

Japan
21,772 deaths
in 2021
South Africa
13,227 deaths
in 2021
Japan rank
5th
South Africa rank
8th

Number of suicides over time

  • Japan
  • South Africa
10.0k20.0k30.0k200020102021

How they compare

Japan currently reports 21,772 deaths against 13,227 deaths in South Africa, a difference of 8,545 deaths.

That makes Japan's figure about 1.6 times South Africa's.

Across all 22 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Japan ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 8th of 194 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 31,215 deaths 7,630 deaths 23,585 deaths Japan
2010s 25,324 deaths 10,601 deaths 14,723 deaths Japan
2020s 21,662 deaths 12,821 deaths 8,841 deaths Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of suicides, Japan or South Africa?
Japan, at 21,772 deaths against 13,227 deaths in South Africa as of 2021.
What is the difference in number of suicides between Japan and South Africa?
8,545 deaths, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2021.
How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for number of suicides?
Japan ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 8th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of suicides. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs South Africa: Number of suicides. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-deaths-from-suicide-ghe/japan/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of suicides
Unit
deaths
Source
World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths from self-harm in both sexes.