Determining the indirect costs of suicide in Sweden between 2010 and 2019 - A cost of illness study

Abstract

Background: Globally, more than 700 thousand people commit suicide annually. In Sweden, the yearly incidence is between 1000 and 1500 people, which is higher than the global average. Understanding the economic burden of suicide could help highlight the importance and urgency of finding more effective treatments and preventative measures to help people suffering from suicidal thoughts and support studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness of various interventions. Method: This national population-based cross-sectional study estimated the indirect costs associated with all suicides in Sweden between 2010 and 2019. Indirect costs were estimated using the human capital approach. Data regarding average salaries and employment rates were extracted from publicly available data in Sweden. Productivity loss was estimated over two time horizons, the year following the suicide and over a lifetime horizon. Estimations were performed in total numbers for the yearly cohorts as well as per person. Results: Between 2010 and 2019, 1 406 to 1 591 suicides occurred every year in Sweden. In total, approximately 26 500 productive life years are lost every year due to suicide. In 2019, the productivity loss due to all suicides in Sweden was estimated to be 44 million euros over a one-year time horizon, where 10 million euros are direct losses in local and regional authority taxes. Over a lifetime, productivity losses amounted to 935 million euros. The corresponding estimations per person were 37 and 778 thousand euros respectively over a one-year and a lifetime time horizon Over a one-year time horizon, the productivity loss was highest in the older age groups. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into the economic burden of suicide on Swedish society. It underlines the potential economic benefits of effective suicide prevention, aligning with previous research highlighting the substantial returns—both monetary and in terms of human well-being—that successful prevention strategies can yield.