Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2024, or ADSI, is an annual report published by the National Crime Records Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It gives official data on accidental deaths and suicides reported by States and Union Territories. The report covers deaths due to natural and unnatural causes, road accidents, drowning, fire, poisoning, falls, drug overdose and suicides.
The NCRB page confirms that the latest issue of the ADSI report relates to 2024 and that the report covers accidental deaths and suicides with age-wise and gender-wise details.
Scope of the Report
ADSI divides accidental deaths broadly into natural and unnatural causes.
Natural causes include deaths due to lightning, heat stroke, floods, landslides, earthquakes, epidemics and other natural events.
Unnatural causes include deaths due to road accidents, fire, drowning, poisoning, falls, explosions, electrocution, drug overdose and other accidental causes.
For suicides, the report gives data by cause, occupation, age group, gender, educational background and social profile. NCRB notes that suicide causes include family problems, illness, unemployment, bankruptcy, property disputes, failure in examination, addiction and other factors.
Key Findings of ADSI 2024
The ADSI 2024 report recorded 1,70,746 suicides in India. This shows that suicide remains a major public health and social distress issue, not only a law-and-order statistic.
Daily wage earners formed the largest occupational category among suicide victims, accounting for around 31% of total suicides. This means economic insecurity, informal employment and livelihood vulnerability remain closely linked with suicide risk. Reported data shows 52,910 daily wage earners died by suicide in 2024.
Agricultural sector suicides accounted for 10,546 deaths, or around 6.2% of total suicides. Homemakers accounted for 22,113 suicides. Drug overdose deaths also rose sharply, increasing from 650 in 2023 to 978 in 2024, a rise of around 50%. Tamil Nadu reported the highest overdose deaths, followed by Punjab.
Why It Matters
ADSI is important because it shows the social and economic causes behind unnatural deaths. It helps policymakers identify vulnerable groups and design targeted interventions.
The 2024 data points to three major concerns.
First, suicide is closely linked with livelihood stress. The high share of daily wage earners shows the vulnerability of informal workers who often face unstable income, debt, lack of social security and poor access to mental health support.
Second, agricultural distress continues to remain important. Even though agricultural-sector suicides are lower than daily wage suicides, they still reflect problems of debt, crop failure, price volatility, climate shocks and rural distress.
Third, the rise in drug overdose deaths shows the need to treat substance abuse as a public health issue. It requires prevention, de-addiction services, counselling, community outreach and better monitoring of synthetic drugs and prescription misuse.
Limitations
ADSI data is based on police records and reports submitted by States and UTs. Therefore, it reflects reported and recorded deaths, not necessarily the full reality.
Suicides may be underreported due to stigma, family pressure, insurance concerns or social reasons. Causes of suicide are also difficult to classify because one case may involve multiple factors such as debt, illness, family conflict and mental health distress.
The report is useful, but it should be read carefully. A rise or fall in numbers may reflect actual change, better reporting, or differences in state-level classification.
Relevance
ADSI 2024 is relevant for governance, public health, mental health, road safety, labour welfare, agriculture policy and social justice.
A stronger response should focus on:
• Mental health support at primary healthcare level
• Social security for informal and daily wage workers
• Farmer distress reduction through credit, insurance and price support
• De-addiction and substance abuse prevention
• Better suicide prevention helplines and counselling
• Road safety and accident-prevention measures
• More reliable death reporting and classification
Conclusion
ADSI 2024 shows that accidental deaths and suicides are not isolated personal tragedies. They reflect deeper issues of livelihood insecurity, mental health gaps, substance abuse, road safety and social protection. For policy, the focus should move from only recording deaths to preventing them.
