BackgroundSuicide and non-fatal suicidal behavior are significant public health issues worldwide requiring effective preventive interventions.MethodsThe aim of the present study was to analyze the effectiveness of national suicide prevention programs taking a statistical approach involving the segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series data.ResultsThis study demonstrates that National Suicide Prevention Programs are effective, but this effect seems to correlate with age and sex. Our data have shown a statistical significant decline in suicide rates in the verum countries in males, with the strongest effects in groups aged 25-to-44years and 45-to-64years.ConclusionOur study implies that the implementation of a national strategy is an effective tool to reduce suicide rates.