A List Of Mass Suicides:

[Emerita]

There stands a difference in suicide being a personal act vs "mass suicide" in the context of groups influenced by external forces such as cults, political pressure, or warfare. In many cases these deaths may be more accurately described as "collective deaths" rather than personal acts of suicide, as the motivations can be complex. Given the uncertainty that often surrounds these events especially with regards to numbers, motivations, and the interpretation of facts this list may lack some of the nuance necessary to fully understand the events in question.

The cases listed may also blur the lines between mass murder and suicide, or possibly group assisted suicide as some involve coercion, desperation, manipulation, deception, delusion and a mix of beliefs.

206 BCE – Astapa Mass Suicide

• Deaths: 50+ estimated
• Location: Astapa, Hispania (Spain)
• Method: Fire
• Reason: Citizens chose death over Roman conquest

133 BCE – Numantia Mass Suicide

• Deaths: Unknown
• Location: Numantia, Hispania (Spain)
• Method: Fire, starvation, combat
• Reason: Avoid surrendering to Rome during siege

73 CE – Masada (Sicarii Jewish Revolt)

• Deaths: ~960
• Location: Masada, Israel
• Method: Stabbing, possibly agreed upon killing suicide
• Reason: Avoid enslavement by Romans

1300s–1500s – Jauhar Suicides

• Deaths: Thousands (across incidents, exact unknown)
• Location: Indian subcontinent
• Method: Self immolation
• Reason: Women avoided capture and sexual violence during sieges

1600s – Old Believers Suicides

• Deaths: Estimated in the thousands
• Location: Russia
• Method: Fire
• Reason: Religious dissent against Russian Orthodox Church reforms

1803 – Dance of Zalongo

• Deaths: Dozens, exact unknown
• Location: Mount Zalongo, Greece
• Method: Jumping off a cliff
• Reason: Women avoided capture by Ottoman forces

1906 – Puputan Suicides

• Deaths: Estimated thousands (combined events)
• Location: Bali, Indonesia
• Method: Stabbing, some fire
• Reason: Ritual suicide to avoid Dutch colonization

1943 – Miła 18 Bunker

• Deaths: Dozens to hundreds
• Location: Warsaw, Poland
• Method: Poison and possibly self detonation
• Reason: Avoid capture by Nazis

1944–1945 – WWII Civilian Mass Suicides

• Deaths: Thousands
• Location: Japan (Saipan and Okinawa)
• Method: Cliff jumping, explosives
• Reason: Wartime propaganda, feared U.S. forces

1945 – Nazi Germany Mass Suicides

• Deaths: 7,000 estimated across Germany
• Location: Germany
• Method: Cyanide, gunshot, hanging
• Reason: Fear of Soviet occupation, Nazi defeat

1945 – Demmin Mass Suicide

• Deaths: ~1,000
• Location: Demmin, Germany
• Method: Drowning, poison
• Reason: Fear of atrocities by advancing Soviet forces

1963 – Buddhist Monk Suicides

• Deaths: Uncertain
• Location: Vietnam
• Method: Self immolation
• Reason: Protest against government

1978 – Jonestown Massacre (People's Temple)

• Deaths: 918
• Location: Jonestown, Guyana
• Method: Cyanide laced drink
• Reason: Mass murder/suicide planned by cult leader Jim Jones

1993 – Waco Siege (Branch Davidians)

• Deaths: 76
• Location: Waco, Texas, USA
• Method: Fire, some gunshots
• Reason: Apocalyptic beliefs standoff with U.S. authorities

1994–1997 – Order of the Solar Temple Suicides

• Deaths: ~74
• Location: Canada, France, Switzerland
• Method: Fire, gunshot, poison
• Reason: Cult ideology and planned murder/suicides

1997 – Heaven's Gate Cult

• Deaths: 39
• Location: California, USA
• Method: Barbiturates, alcohol, plastic bags
• Reason: Belief in spiritual ascension of alien spacecraft

2000 – Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God

• Deaths: ~778
• Location: Uganda
• Method: Arson, poison, murder
• Reason: Apocalyptic prophecy failed

2007 – Adam Family Suicide

• Deaths: 9
• Location: Bangladesh
• Method: Hit by train
• Reason: Joint delusion

2018 – Burari Family Deaths

• Deaths: 11
• Location: Delhi, India
• Method: Hanging
• Reason: Shared psychosis

2023 – Shakahola Forest Massacre

• Deaths: ~488 (ongoing investigation)
• Location: Malindi, Kenya
• Method: Starvation
• Reason: Religious cult led by Paul Mackenzie

The events listed here are hard to say that suicide was the intention behind all those who died or if they were subjected to a group belief. While others are acts of desperation to avoid suffering. Though we may never fully understand the motivations of those involved.

NOTE
I may add more sources as they become available. The document is quite lengthy, so I will focus on finding the most reputable references to include.

Also I just learned that ~ before a number means approximately

https://vault.fbi.gov/jonestown
https://vault.fbi.gov/waco-branch-davidian
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-largest-mass-suicides-in-history.html
https://www.ranker.com/list/every-mass-suicide-in-history/ranker-news
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/76002193_text
https://www.historyhit.com/locations/mila-18-memorial/
https://www.roamintheempire.com/index.php/2023/08/09/numantia-part-i/
https://www.reuters.com/world/afric...s-latest-long-list-cult-tragedies-2023-04-25/