ANNUAL REPORT
Individual suicide prevention cannot stand alone, therefore the focus must be on structural prevention, states a new report from the National Medical Board.
The suicide rate in Greenland is significantly higher than in other countries. In 2025 it then reached the highest level since 2018.
This appears from the National Medical Board’s annual report on suicide 2025.
There were a total of 50 suicides in Greenland in 2025, which corresponds to 0.88 per 1000 inhabitants, which is seven to nine times higher than the Danish and global level.
According to the report, suicide rates are also high among Inuit in Canada and Alaska.
It is mainly men who are included in the statistics. 84 percent of those who died last year were men, and the highest incidence is among young men between the ages of 15 and 24. The average age was 32 years.
Suicide prevention programs did not help
“International research shows that suicide is most often associated with mental illness, previous suicide attempts and abuse, including alcohol,” the report states.
Of the 50 people who committed suicide in 2025, 30 percent had a psychiatric diagnosis, while 24 percent had previously attempted suicide.
It appears from the report that suicide prevention courses are offered through the health service to people who have attempted suicide. 12 people had previously attempted suicide. Of these, four had accepted a course, three had completed it, while the last one was still on the waiting list at the time of death.
Alcohol was involved in 10 cases. In the remaining cases, there was no information about possible alcohol intake prior to the suicide.
Alcohol prevention must be prioritized
None of the 50 people had contacted the health service with suicidal thoughts in the week leading up to the death.
And this is remarkable, the report points out. This is consistent with research which shows that suicide often occurs impulsively or in affect, sometimes enhanced by alcohol.
“This limits the effect of individual-directed efforts alone and calls for strengthened structural prevention,” the report states.
The report points out that alcohol prevention must be considered an integral part of suicide prevention, especially since drug drinking and alcohol-related stress are still widespread in Greenland.
The individual treatment and crisis intervention must be supplemented with structural measures that reduce alcohol-related stress, strengthen protective factors in local communities and reduce the risk of impulsive actions in acute crisis situations, the report concludes.
