Suicide and Internal Migration in Sri Lanka

This paper examines the rise of suicide rates in Sri Lanka in recent decades and suggests that much of the increase is attributable to the disruptions caused by increased levels of internal migration. Attention is paid to suicide rates by district, sex, and age group. It is shown that, while internal migration cannot explain completely the universal rise in suicide in Sri Lanka, there is a strong association between suicide and internal migration particularly in the Dry Zone districts where migrants comprise more than half the population in most adult-age groups.