Suicidal Behavior in French Guiana. 2024 Report.

Published on 10 October 2025

Key Points

In 2024, nearly 7% of adults aged 18 to 79 living in French Guiana reported having had suicidal thoughts in the 12 months preceding the survey (close to the national prevalence of 5%), 6% reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives, and less than 1% reported having attempted suicide in the past 12 months.

In 2024, 208 emergency department visits for self-harm were recorded in French Guiana, representing 2.6‰ of emergency department activity, a decrease compared to 2023 (-29%).
Nearly two out of three emergency department visits for self-harm involved women (61%).
More than one-third of emergency department visits for self-harm (35%) were followed by hospitalization.

172 hospitalizations for self-harm were recorded in 2024 in the region, a figure that has remained stable compared to recent years (an average of 180 annual hospitalizations between 2019 and 2023). This figure corresponded to a standardized rate of 54 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants, lower than the national level (142 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants).
Women accounted for the majority (65% of hospitalizations due to self-harm), and among them, those aged 11–17 and 18–24 were the most affected. Among men, those aged 18–24 had the highest hospitalization rates.
Intentional medication overdose was the most common method (54% of hospitalizations for self-harm), regardless of gender.

In 2023, 26 suicide deaths were recorded in French Guiana, representing a standardized rate of 10 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, which remained stable compared to 2022.
In French Guiana, 4 out of 5 suicide deaths involved men (81%), a proportion close to the national level (75%).
The most frequently recorded method of suicide on death certificates was hanging (75%), regardless of gender.

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