Weekly Numerics: Crime declines, suicides increase, heat-related deaths surge, and unemployment remains high

The Weekly Numerics column features three to five charts based on major events or interesting data points that emerged during the week. Here are some of the key figures of the past seven days.

Crime rate declines

India recorded as many as 35.61 lakh crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2022, according to the latest data from the Crime in India report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Along with cases registered under the Special & Local Laws (SLL crimes), nearly 58.25 lakh cognisable crimes were recorded during the year.

On a positive note, the total number of crimes recorded under the IPC has gone down marginally during the year, as can be seen from the chart below.

There has been a decline in the crime rate as well, which is the number of crimes recorded per lakh population. The crime rate in 2022 was 258.1, down from 268 the year before.

However, the overall police chargesheeting rate also saw a decline for the second consecutive year. Chargesheeting rate refers to the share of cases in which the police reached the stage of framing charges against the accused after necessary investigation, and is considered to be a better indicator of police performance. Between 2020 and 2022, the overall chargesheeting rate has gone down from 75.8 to 71.3.

Increase in suicides

There was an increase in both, the number of suicides and the rate of suicides (per lakh population) in the country in 2022, according to the NCRB’s recently released report titled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’.

The total number of suicides recorded in the country went up from 1.64 lakh in 2021 to nearly 1.71 lakh in 2022. Meanwhile, the rate of suicides marginally rose from 12 to 12.4.

Among states, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of suicides in the country at 22,746, followed by Tamil Nadu (19,834) and Madhya Pradesh (15,386). When it comes to the rate of suicides, Sikkim tops the list with a suicide rate of 43.1. However, among bigger states, Kerala recorded the highest rate of suicide (28.5), followed by Chhattisgarh (28.2).

Out of nearly 1.23 lakh male suicides, the maximum number was recorded among daily wage earners (41,433), followed by self-employed persons (18,357) and professionals/salaried persons (14,395). Meanwhile, as many as 48,172 females committed suicide in 2022 in the country. Of the women who committed suicide, the highest number (25,309) was registered among housewives, followed by students (6,113) and daily wage earners (3,752).

Rise in deaths due to heat stroke

After two consecutive years of decline, India saw a rise in the number of people who died due to heat/sunstroke. The number of persons who died due to heat strokes went up from 374 in 2021 to 730 in 2022.

ALSO READ: As India simmers, data on heatwave-linked mortality turns foggy

It needs to be noted that the NCRB figures for previous years are higher than the figures maintained by the National Disaster Management Authority and the Indian Meteorological Department. A previous report by Moneycontrol had explored the inconsistencies between these datasets and how only NCRB has the resources required for such data collection, and yet, how the figures are likely to be under-reported.

Unfortunately, as 2023 has now become the hottest year in recorded history, the number of heat stroke-related deaths is likely to have increased during this year.

Unemployment rate remains high despite a marginal drop

Although the unemployment rate in India declined marginally to reach 9.2 in November 2023, from 10.1 a month before, a look at the larger trend shows that it remains elevated.

The unemployment rate has seen an overall rise in recent months and remains higher than the longer-term average recorded since the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, recent months have displayed increased volatility, with the average monthly unemployment in the first 11 months of 2023 being 8.2 percent, the highest since 2017, excluding the strict lockdown in 2020.

“The 10.1 percent unemployment rate of October and its moderation to 9.2 per cent in November should be seen in the light of the above trend. The November print is a fall in a rising trend. Furthermore, the fall is at least partly explained as a seasonal phenomenon,” said the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) in a recently published report.

The decline in the November unemployment figure is largely due to a rise in labour demand in rural areas, as the harvesting of kharif crops and sowing of rabi crops happens during this month.

Moreover, the overall decline in the unemployment rate during the month is despite an uptick in the urban figure. The urban unemployment rate went up from 8.4 in October to 9.4 in November.