Suicide in Belgium: Patterns across time and space
Author: Audrey Plavsic
The Suicide, 1836, painting by Alexandre Gabriel Decamps (© Public Domain)
Why, how and where do people kill themselves? And does this change over time?
Suicide is one of the most persistent causes of death across societies and time. While its social meanings and the ways it is recorded have evolved, the phenomenon itself has remained a consistent feature of human life. In Belgium, like in many other European countries, the question of who dies by suicide, where, and how, has long preoccupied researchers, policymakers, and the public alike.
What is suicide? (passport)
Understanding Suicide
The definition of suicide, and society’s awareness of it, have changed over time. In early modern records, suicide was often seen as a moral or religious transgression, not a medical or social issue. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, it came to be regarded increasingly as a subject for scientific inquiry and public health intervention.
Today, suicide is recognized as a multifaceted issue, shaped by individual vulnerability and social context alike. Understanding its historical trajectory can therefore shed light not only on patterns of mortality but also on the social transformations that accompany them.
National trends over time
When looking at long-term data, suicide in Belgium shows both persistence and change. The overall suicide rate has fluctuated across decades, rising in some periods, stabilizing or declining in others, but it has never disappeared.
The evolution of suicide rates shows a significant difference between men and women (figure 1).
As in most countries, men die by suicide more frequently than women. (add more detail: Has this gap widened or narrowed? Has the distribution across age groups shifted?…)
contextualization of the national trends in suicide over time (aggregated data).
It is commonly observed that men die by suicide more frequently than women, but what are the actual proportions? Has this always been the case? Examination of historical patterns and literature explaining gender differences and temporal trends (aggregated data)
Historical records suggest that the gender gap has varied with broader social changes, industrialization, wars, and evolving gender roles all appear to have played a part.
(Here a graph could show the temporal evolution of suicide rates among men, women, and the total population, and suicide as a proportion of all external or total causes of death.)
Who are the Individuals Behind the Numbers?
Do individuals who die by suicide share common characteristics? Are there specific patterns in terms of gender, age, social class, marital status, or housing?
Presentation of the demographic and socio-economic profiles of individuals who die by suicide, analysis of social inequalities in suicide (individual data)
Graphs about profile of people dying of suicide: distribution by marital status, age group, socio-economic group…
Beyond gender, suicide rates also vary by age, marital status, and socio-economic position. Historically, widowed and divorced individuals have faced higher risks, as have people living in more precarious conditions. The association between social inequality and suicide has been widely discussed in both classical and contemporary literature.
Patterns by age group often reveal a dual concentration among the young and the elderly, though the balance between these groups has shifted over time. Such trends reflect not only demographic change but also broader social transformations—urbanization, economic crises, and evolving family structures.
(Graphs can illustrate distributions by marital status, age group, and socio-economic category.)
Spatial Patterns
Suicide is not evenly distributed across space. Certain regions have consistently recorded higher rates than others, and these spatial differences can change over time.
In earlier studies, higher suicide rates were often found in urban areas—places characterized by anonymity, industrialization, and rapid social change. More recent research, however, suggests a reversal of this pattern: rural areas, especially those experiencing economic decline or population ageing, now tend to show higher suicide rates.
(An interactive map could visualize the temporal evolution of suicide rates by district, with filters for gender and time.)
Economic and Political Contexts
Economic and political crises have often left visible imprints on suicide statistics. Industrial regions, particularly during downturns, have historically experienced sharper increases in suicide mortality. These effects can differ by gender and age, reflecting distinct social roles and vulnerabilities.
A closer look at highly industrialized districts, and at regions like the province of Brabant, can help illuminate these dynamics at a finer geographical scale.
(maps could allow users to look at Brabant municipalities to observe these spatial patterns more closely.)
Shifts in Suicide Metods
Trends in methods used, disaggregated by sex and district
Explanation of temporal shifts in suicide methods. Technological and chemical innovations, and evolving knowledge (e.g., decreasing drownings—possibly due to increased swimming education; increasing suicides by jumping—perhaps due to taller buildings), fluctuations in firearm suicides—potentially linked to changes in availability (e.g., post-war periods))
National-level graph: trends in methods used, by sex
Spatial distribution of methods
Are drownings more frequent in districts with canals, rivers, or access to the sea?
Are fall from high places more common in highly urbanized areas?
Are hangings more uniformly distributed due to the general accessibility of the method?
Are suicides by poisoning more frequent in agricultural regions, possibly due to the availability of toxic substances?
A geographical analysis of the distribution of suicide methods can shed light on these questions.
Interactive maps by district, from 1886 to 2020
Filters: sex (men, women, total), method (hanging, firearm, drowning, etc.), and time (year-by-year or aggregated in 10-year intervals around census years, to account for low case counts)
Focus on the province of Brabant at the municipal level
Possibility to zoom in on the map of Belgium to observe the same thing at the level of the municipalities of Brabant
Conclusions
The history of suicide in Belgium reflects both continuity and transformation. Across centuries, suicide has mirrored the changing fabric of society, its economic structures, gender relations, and cultural norms. By combining long-term data with spatial and demographic perspectives, we can better understand how this complex phenomenon has evolved, and how public health responses might continue to adapt.
Behind every data point lies a human story, but by studying these patterns systematically, we can inform prevention efforts and support those most at risk, ensuring that history serves not only as a record, but as a guide for change.
Sources and Literature
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Ineqkill Digital Atlas of Health Inequalities in Belgium provides detailed historical information about mortality and diseases in Belgium from 1820 to 2025.
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