In parallel with the escalating concern about youth suicides in the 1970s in the West, came an increase in suicide prevention efforts. The production of research data in the past 20 years enables us to evaluate the rationale and effectiveness of these suicide prevention programmes. Effective prevention programmes for youth suicide depend on our knowledge of the scope of the problem, factors associated with its occurrence, and an evaluation of the existing prevention strategies. The aim of this article is to review the main body of knowledge on the prevalence of and risk factors for youth suicide (both completed and attempted suicides) and use these to assess various prevention programmes.