The number of suicides in the Netherlands remained relatively stable last year, at 1,862, or an average of five per day.

There has, however, been a slight increase in the number of people in their 20s and 30s ending their lives and a slight drop among people in their 50s and 60s, national statistics agency CBS said.

The number of suicides rose in the 1970s and early 1980s and rose again in 2008 during the financial crisis. But the figure, taking population growth into account, has been relatively stable since 2013.

Men are more than twice as likely as women to end their lives.

Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can chat with someone anonymously at www.113 or ring the free number 0800-0113.