Monthly suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Japan

This paper uses 2018–2020 prefecture–month–year, gender–month–year, and age group–month–year level data on suicide rates in Japan to document how suicide rates are evolving during the COVID-19 pandemic. I use a monthly event study design to study changes in suicide rates surrounding Japan’s COVID-19 state of emergency and to trace out monthly changes in suicide rates during the first 11 months of 2020 relative to 2018–2019. I find that monthly suicide rates during the pandemic started increasing meaningfully in June–July 2020. I find that women experienced greater increases in suicide rates than men, relative to their 2018–2019 average suicide rate, and that women experienced the largest increase in suicide rates in October 2020. I also find descriptive evidence that in terms of suicide, individuals under 30 years old were faring worse during the pandemic. •This paper studies suicide rates in Japan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.•Japan exhibited an increase in suicide rates during the pandemic.•Suicides started increasing meaningfully in June–July 2020 with a substantial increase in October 2020.•Japanese women experienced higher changes in suicide rates than men.•The increase in suicide rates was more pronounced among individuals under 30 years old.