Unemployment may be to blame for around 45,000 suicides worldwide every year, a new study has found. This figure is significantly higher than the number of suicides linked to economic crises, such as the recent global recession.

Swiss researchers analysed the impact of unemployment on suicide between 2000 and 2011 in 63 different countries, including Ireland, across four world regions. This timeframe was chosen as it included a period of economic stability, as well as the 2008 worldwide recession and its aftermath.

Men and women of different ages were included.

The study found that across the four world regions analysed, unemployment had a similar effect on suicide. During the study period, the relative risk of suicide linked with unemployment increased by 20-30%.

The researchers from the University of Zurich estimated that every year between 2000 and 2011, around 233,000 people died by suicide and around 20% of these - 45,000 - were linked to unemployment.

This is nine times higher than the extra number of suicides linked to the 2008 recession, which was estimated to be about 5,000 per year.

Furthermore, while the recent recession was found to have a greater effect on suicide rates among men, this study found that when it came to unemployment, men and women were equally vulnerable to suicide.

"Our data suggest that not all job losses necessarily have an equal impact, as the effect on suicide risk appears to be stronger in countries where being out of work is uncommon. It is possible that an unexpected increase in the unemployment rate may trigger greater fears and insecurity than in countries with higher pre-crisis unemployment levels," commented the study's lead author, Dr Carlos Nordt.

The researchers believe that suicide prevention strategies need to focus on the negative impact of unemployment not just during a recession, but also during times of economic stability.

"Besides specific therapeutic interventions, sufficient investment by governments in active labour market policies that enhance the efficiency of labour markets could help generate additional jobs and reduce the unemployment rate, helping to offset the impact on suicide," Dr Nordt added.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, The Lancet Psychiatry.