Suicide Statistics, Awareness, and Resources for Prevention

Suicide Rates in the United States

Suicide rates in the United States have been steadily increasing over the last two decades, making suicide two times more prevalent than homicide.¹

• From 1999-2017, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the USA grew 33% from 10.5 deaths to 14.0 per 100,000 people.²
• Over this period, the suicide rate for women increased 53% from 4.0 deaths in 1999 to 6.1 in 2017²
• For men, the rate grew 26% from 17.8 deaths in 1999 to 22.4 in 2017²

Common Risk Factors Associated with High Suicide Rates

It is incredibly important to understand the risk factors that make someone more likely to take their own life. The most prevalent risks are a previous suicide attempt and mental disorders like depression. Suicide statistics show that members of groups who experience discrimination such as minorities, LGBTQ, refugees, or prisoners are often at a higher risk due to feelings of conflict or a sense of isolation.

Potential risks that aren’t as easy to pinpoint include those in moments of crisis and extreme stress such as:³

• Chronic pain
• Illness
• Financial problems
• Unemployment
• Economic recession

Other lesser-known risk factors include:⁴

• Alcohol use
• Gun prevalence
• Daylight patterns
• Countries without unilateral divorce
• Media coverage of a suicide

Seasonal variations of suicide rates have been shown in many countries especially those that do not experience regular daylight patterns, and contrary to popular belief, the rates do not peak in times when the nights are longest.

In countries that experience seasonal variations of daylight patterns, suicide rates peaked in the spring and summer months during the periods of constant light.⁵ For example, in North Greenland, 48% of suicides occurred during the period of constant light in the year.⁵

Over the years, several studies have found a phenomenon of an increase in suicides following media reports of a suicide, a relationship referred to as ‘copycat’ behavior.⁶ Research shows that suicide appears to be “contagious” with clusters of suicides following specific media content creating a substantial increase, approximately 14.3 times higher, in the likelihood of a suicide.⁷

A 2010 study found that continuous reporting of the same suicide and reporting of suicide myths were positively associated with an increase in suicide rates, while coverage of suicide coping mechanisms was negatively associated with suicide rates.⁸ Based on these findings the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed guidelines for reporting of suicides in the media including instructions to avoid using language that sensationalizes or normalizes suicides.⁹

Suicide Rates by Gender, Age, and Income Level

Suicide is an issue that affects people of all demographics; however it is more prevalent amongst some groups of people based upon age, gender, and income level.

Suicide Rates by Gender

In 2020, the suicide rate among males was 22.0 per 100,000 vs. 5.5 per 100,000 for females.¹⁴ According to a study on men and depression, men are often at a higher risk of suicide because they are not socialized to talk about their emotions and therefore may hide their emotional pain rather than seek out help.¹⁵

Suicide Rates by Age

Suicide occurs in people throughout the lifespan, but it does not affect all age groups equally. Today, suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teens. In 2019, it was thefourth leading cause of death among college students, however, this does not mean this age group has the highest rate of suicide.³ People75 years of age and older have the highest rate of suicide, but it is not the leading cause of death as they are more likely to die from other causes.¹⁶

Suicide Rates by Income Level

A person’s income and a country’s economic status also play a role in the number of suicides in each population. According to the WHO, in 2023 approximately 77% of the world’s suicides occurred in low and middle-income countries.³ While definitive evidence of the association between suicide and poverty in low and middle-income countries is scarce, a study revealed that there is a consistent trend at the individual level indicating that poverty, diminished wealth, and unemployment is associated with suicidal ideations and behaviors.¹⁷

Suicide Rates Within Minority Groups

For the past decade, suicide rates across all races and ethnicities have been on the rise:¹⁸

• In 2018 the suicide rate amongst American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations was at 22.1 deaths per 100,000, higher than the overall US suicide rate of 14.2 per 100,000
  • It is important to note that according to available data, suicide rates peak during adolescence and young adulthood within the AI/AN population and then decline. This is a different pattern than is seen in the overall U.S. population, where suicide rates peak in midlife
• In 2018, the age-adjusted suicide rate amongst Hispanic populations (7.4 deaths per 100,000)
• Asian or Pacific Islander populations (7.0 deaths per 100,000) were about half of what the overall suicide rate was for the United States (14.2 deaths per 100,000)

Suicide Rates by Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

As previously stated, people among minorities groups are often at a higher risk of suicidal behaviors. Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBTQ) often fall within these elevated risk factors, as they may experience discrimination and feelings of isolation.

Research shows that mental health problems, misuse of alcohol and drugs, suicidal thoughts and behaviors are more common amongst this group than in the general population.¹⁹ While studies show suicidal tendencies are more common among the LGBTQ community, there is no official or generally reliable way to determine rates of completed suicide in LGBTQ people.¹⁹

Risk factors include:

• Depression and other mental health problems
• Alcohol or drug use
• Stress from prejudice and discrimination (family rejection, harassment, bullying, violence)
• Feelings of social isolation

Protective factors include:

• Family acceptance
• Connections to friends and others who care about them
• Sense of safety

Suicide Rates of People with Mental Health Diagnoses

While there are many elements that make a person susceptible to suicidal behavior, mental health and mood disorders are cited as the largest attributing risk factor. The results of a 2002 systematic review of 31 published studies by Bertolote and Fleischmann revealed that 98% of people who died by suicide had a diagnosable mental health disorder.²⁰ Their review separated individuals who had previously been admitted to a mental hospital and those who had not.

Their findings showed that suicide is associated with a variety of mental disorders, but mood disorder accounted for most of the diagnoses and were the leading cause for both individuals in the general population as well as those who had previously been admitted. The second highest amongst the general population were those with substance-related disorders, while schizophrenia was the second highest cause for patients who had been admitted.²⁰

Suicides by Method

Globally, firearms, ingestion of pesticide, and hanging are among the most common methods of suicide.³ The WHO estimates that around 20% of suicides around the world are due to pesticide self-poisoning, a majority of them occurring in rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income countries.²¹ A 2019 study estimates that the total number of lives lost to self-poisoning by pesticides to be 14-15 million between 1960-2018.²²

In 2017, 39,773 persons died from firearm-related injuries in the United States. Suicide by firearm accounts for about 8% of suicide deaths globally.²³ The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 23,854 people died by firearm in suicide in the United States in 2017, while in that same year 14,452 homicides by firearm occurred, meaning that ~60% of firearm deaths in the US were from suicides in 2017.²³

Suicide Statistics Over Time

Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality showed that from 1999 through 2018 in the United States:

• The suicide rate increased 35%, from 10.5 deaths per 100,000 to 14.2, increasing on average ~1% per year from 1999 to 2006 and by 2% per year from 2006 through 2018²⁴
• Over the years US veterans have seen an alarming increase in suicides, increasing by 129 from 2016 to 2017 alone²⁵
• However, since 1990, most European and Asian countries have seen a decline in suicide rates¹⁷