Table 1. Survey characteristics of the GSHS according to country, 2009–2013.
| Country | Survey year | Sample size | Response rate (%) | Boys (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa (6 countries) | ||||
| Benin | 2009 | 2649 | 99.7 | 65.0 |
| Ghana | 2012 | 3543 | 99.0 | 53.8 |
| Malawi | 2009 | 2212 | 99.1 | 46.9 |
| Mauritania | 2010 | 1976 | 98.0 | 47.1 |
| Namibia | 2013 | 4410 | 98.5 | 47.2 |
| Swaziland | 2013 | 3612 | 97.4 | 47.5 |
| Americas (17 countries) | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | 2009 | 1216 | 98.8 | 46.6 |
| Argentina | 2012 | 27778 | 98.4 | 47.7 |
| Bahamas | 2013 | 1340 | 97.9 | 46.4 |
| Belize | 2011 | 1968 | 98.7 | 47.5 |
| Bolivia | 2012 | 3438 | 98.5 | 50.6 |
| British Virgin Islands | 2009 | 1584 | 99.1 | 44.9 |
| Costa Rica | 2009 | 2653 | 99.5 | 48.3 |
| Dominica | 2009 | 1599 | 99.1 | 43.7 |
| Guatemala | 2009 | 5419 | 99.2 | 45.5 |
| Honduras | 2012 | 1715 | 99.5 | 48.2 |
| Jamaica | 2010 | 1570 | 99.2 | 48.9 |
| Peru | 2010 | 2842 | 99.0 | 48.8 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2011 | 1714 | 98.8 | 44.0 |
| Salvador | 2013 | 1858 | 99.5 | 53.8 |
| Suriname | 2009 | 1673 | 98.9 | 51.1 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2011 | 2621 | 98.9 | 54.5 |
| Uruguay | 2012 | 3455 | 99.4 | 46.4 |
| Eastern Mediterranean (6 countries) | ||||
| Iraq | 2012 | 1980 | 98.9 | 56.4 |
| Kuwait | 2011 | 2650 | 98.9 | 50.3 |
| Lebanon | 2011 | 2248 | 99.6 | 46.7 |
| Morocco | 2010 | 2830 | 97.7 | 52.5 |
| Palestine | 2010 | 4441 | 97.3 | 47.3 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2010 | 2551 | 99.1 | 42.0 |
| Asia (5 countries) | ||||
| Cambodia | 2013 | 3783 | 99.6 | 47.2 |
| Malaysia | 2011 | 25421 | 99.9 | 50.0 |
| Mongolia | 2013 | 5301 | 99.3 | 46.8 |
| Philippines | 2011 | 5212 | 99.8 | 43.2 |
| China* | 2010 | 8820 | - | 50.5 |
| Western Pacific (6 countries) | ||||
| Kiribati | 2011 | 1555 | 98.6 | 43.5 |
| Niue | 2010 | 134 | 100.0 | 59.7 |
| Samoa | 2011 | 2303 | 93.7 | 41.2 |
| Solomon Islands | 2011 | 1293 | 97.1 | 52.0 |
| Tuvalu | 2013 | 899 | 98.3 | 48.5 |
| Vanuatu | 2011 | 1014 | 100.0 | 44.2 |
* China is one of the important countries in Asia, and it has large number of young adolescents, so we included China in our study. Because GSHS data in China were collected in 2003, we used data from a large sample size study performed in 2010 in China[24]. This research is part of a program for youth health risk behavior assessments in China, which was supported by China's Ministry of Science and Technology. The research was a school-based survey of suicidal behaviors among students mainly aged 12–18 years. The selection of eligible students and the questions used to assess suicidal behaviors were similar between this study and the GSHS.