Suicide has become a troubling phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, particularly among young people. The rise in suicide cases has been accompanied by growing rates of poverty and unemployment, as well as a lack of opportunities for Saudi youth. Recently, a number of stories have come to light in which cases of suicide involving young Saudis were linked to economic issues.
In 2010, statistics from the Saudi interior ministry indicated that there were 787 cases of suicide in Saudi Arabia in 2009 (approximately two per day), up by 39 from 2008. The statistics indicate that from 1994 to 2006, incidents of suicide rose by 185 percent.
Studies from three Saudi academics show that 84 percent of those who attempted suicide were under the age of 35, and 58 percent were male. In addition to these statistics, there is the reality that most failed suicide attempts are not counted in the figures.
The recorded number of suicides is undoubtedly well below the actual figure, due to the fact that families often refuse to send the body of a deceased relative for an autopsy. Similarly, many prefer to attribute death to "unspecified causes" without an autopsy, which makes the government data incomplete...