EPIDEMIOLOGY

Suicide Globally

  • The World Health Organization reported in 2021 that globally an estimated 703,000 people died by suicide and for every suicide, there were likely 20 other people who made a suicide attempt. One in 100 deaths is by suicide, and it is the fourth leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.
  • Ingestion of pesticides, hanging, and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally.
  • The country with the highest rate of suicide is Lesotho on the African continent, with 72.4 suicides per 100,000 people; the country with the lowest rate is Poland (11.3).
    (WHO, 2021; World Population Review, 2022)

Suicide in the United States

The United States has the highest suicide rate of any wealthy nation (14 per 100,000 people), double the rate of the United Kingdom. On average there is one death by suicide every 11 minutes, and for every death by suicide, there are:

  • 4 hospitalizations for suicide attempts
  • 8 emergency department visits related to suicide
  • 27 self-reported suicide attempts
  • 275 people who seriously considered suicide
    (The Commonwealth Fund, 2020)

Over 50% of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression. If one includes alcoholics who are depressed, the figure rises to over 75% (AFSP, 2022a).

In 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, changing from the 10th leading cause in 2019 due to the number of COVID-19 deaths and increases in deaths from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. The state with the highest suicide rate (30.5) was Wyoming, and the state with the lowest rate was New Jersey (7.1) (CDC, 2022a).

Overall, the suicide rate in the United States increased between 2000 and 2020, and suicides in 2021 totaled 48,183 (Stone et al., 2021).

By gender: In 2021, the number of suicides by males was 4% higher than in 2020, and suicide numbers for females were 2% higher than in 2020. The suicide rate among males (22) was four times higher than the rate among females (5.5). Males make up 49% of the population but nearly 80% of suicides (Curtain et al., 2022). Data indicate that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth (Austin et al., 2022).

By sexual orientation: Suicide risk is three to six times greater for lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults than for heterosexual adults across every age group and race/ethnicity category. Among these groups, 61% of suicides occurred within five years of realizing one’s sexual minority identity, and suicidal thoughts occurred on average from ages 14 to 23 years. Lifetime suicide attempts were reported by 31% of young LGBQ people, compared to 24% in the middle age group and 20% in the oldest age group (UCLA School of Law, 2021; Ramchand, 2022).

By age: In 2021, suicide rates for males ages 15–74 increased significantly, with the largest percentage increase for those ages 15–24. Suicide rates for females have declined recently for those ages 25 and over but have generally increased for those ages 10–14 and 15–24. While adults ages 65 years and older comprise just 12% of the population, they make up approximately 18% of suicides. People ages 10–14 had the lowest rate (2.8), while those ages 85 and over had the highest rate (20.9). Men 65 and older face the highest overall rate.

Based on the most recent Youth Risk Behaviors Survey, 7.4% of youth in grades 9–12 made at least one suicide attempt in the past 12 months. Female students attempted almost twice as often as male students, and Black students reported the highest rate of attempt (9.8%) (Curtain et al., 2022; NCOA, 2021a).

By race/ethnicity: In 2021 the highest U.S. age-adjusted suicide rate was among Non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives (28.1 per 100,000) followed by:

  • Non-Hispanic White, 16.9 per 100,000
  • Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, 12.6 per 100,000
  • Non-Hispanic multiracial, 9.7 per 100,000
  • Non-Hispanic Black, 8.7 per 100,000
  • Hispanic/Latino, 7.9 per 100,000
  • Non-Hispanic Asian, 6.8 per 100,000
    (Stone et al., 2023)

By methods: The most common methods of suicide were:

  • Firearms, 52.8%
  • Suffocation, 27.2%
  • Poisoning, 12%
  • Other, 8%
    (CDC, 2022b)

By occupation: The suicide rate is greatest among the least-skilled workers, such as laborers and those who perform manual tasks. By contrast, the risk of suicide was lower in the most-skilled workers. Factors thought to contribute to this increase include low job security, low pay, and job stress, as well as the ability to access lethal means, such as medications and firearms (CDC, 2022c).

By residency area: The highest rates of suicide in the United States are found in rural areas. Suicide rates per 100,000 individuals according to level of urbanization have been found as follows:

  • Large metropolitan areas (≥1 million population), 13 per 100,000
  • Medium/small metropolitan areas (≥50,000 but <1 million), 17 per 100,000
  • Rural areas (≤50,000), 20 per 100,000
    (Schreiber & Culpepper, 2022; CDC, 2022b)

Suicide among U.S. Veterans and Active-Duty Military

In 2021, 519 service members died by suicide: 328 active-duty personnel, 74 reserve, and 117 national guard. Of this number, the highest were among:

  • Males: 488
  • Whites: 392
  • Enlisted personnel: 292
  • Those ages 20–24: 213

The suicide rate among U.S. veterans was 31.7 per 100,000 and totaled 6,146. Suicide was the 13th leading cause of death among veterans overall, and the second leading cause of death among veterans under age 45 (DOD, 2022).