THE RELATIONSHIP RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION AND SUICIDE: A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL

Abstract

Despite the extensive literature addressing the intersection of religion and suicide, a comprehensive global-level examination of the relationship between religious affiliation and suicide rates remains notably absent. Furthermore, there exists a scarcity of empirical research delving into the influence of Islam, Christianity, and their respective denominations on suicide rates. To bridge these critical gaps, this article endeavors to investigate the intricate connection between religious affiliation and suicide rates on a worldwide scale. In pursuit of this objective, we construct an encompassing dataset by leveraging resources from the Association of Religion Data Archives and the World Health Organization. Through this dataset, we explore the dynamic between religiously affiliated populations and suicide rates, subsequently introducing the homogenized religious affiliation index (HRAI). The HRAI serves as a crucial metric to gauge the impact of religious affiliation on suicide rates at the country level. Our findings show that, first, as the Islamic population increases, a corresponding decrease in suicide rates is observed. In contrast, an increase in the Christian population aligns with an elevation in suicide rates. In addition, the HRAI demonstrates a negative correlation with suicide rates. Moreover, it is found that Catholicism is notably more effective in reducing suicide rates than Protestantism.