27 SUICIDE STATISTICS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Aug 20

Written By Brittany Ginsburg

27 SUICIDE STATISTICS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

(CDC’s Most Recent Verified Data)

48,183 Americans died by suicide in 2021.
1.7 million Americans attempted suicide in 2021.
The rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged white men.
White males accounted for 69.68% of suicide deaths in 2021.
Men died by suicide 3.9x more often than females in 2021.
Men had a higher suicide rate, but females were 1.8x more likely to attempt suicide.
90% of those who died by suicide had a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death.
Over one third of people who died by suicide in 2021 were 55 and older.
53% of all suicides in 2021 were by firearms.
54% of firearm deaths in 2021 were suicides.
72% of communities in the United States did not have enough mental health providers to serve residents in 2021, according to federal guidelines.
Based on the most recent Youth Risk Behaviors Survey from 2021, 10.0% of youth in grades 9-12 reported that they had made at least one suicide attempt in the past 12 months.
On average, there are 132 suicides per day.

Suicide rates by race/ethnicity and sex

(*American Foundation for Suicide Prevention*)

13. In 2021, the highest U.S. age-adjusted suicide rate was among Whites (15.65)

14. The second highest rate was among American Indians and Alaskan Natives (16.74)

15. Much lower suicide rates were found among Black or African Americans (8.34) and

16. Asians and Pacific Islanders (6.86)

Age Adjusted Rate Defined

(**Note that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) records Hispanic origin separately from the primary racial or ethnic groups of White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander, since individuals in all groups may also be Hispanic. Overall, across groups, the age-adjusted rate of suicide for non-Hispanics was 15.28 and the rate for Hispanics was 7.89 per 100,000.)

Suicide rates by age range

17. In 2021, the highest U.S. age-adjusted suicide rates

were among adults ages 25 to 34 years at 19.48

18. Similarly, adults ages 75 to 84 years had

(19.56 per 100,000)

19. The rate highest among adults ages 85+

(22.39 per 100,000)

20. Younger groups have consistently had lower

suicide rates than middle-aged and older adults.

21. In 2021, adolescents and young adults aged

15 to 24 had a suicide rate of 15.15.

SUICIDE ATTEMPTS

In the U.S., no complete count of suicide attempt data are available. The CDC gathers data from hospitals on non-fatal injuries from self-harm as well as survey data.

22. In 2020, (the most recent year for which data are available), the rate of visits to the emergency departments for nonfatal self-harm injuries was approximately 146.6 per 100,000 people.

suicide in the military

23. The Department of Defense (DOD) released the DOD Annual Report on Suicide in the Military: Calendar Year 2021 (CY2022 report will be released October 2023). According to the report, in CY 2021, 519 Service members died by suicide with young, enlisted male Service members found to be at greatest risk.

24. The Annual Report shows that the suicide rates for Active Component Service members have gradually increased since 2011, although the 2021 rate is lower than in 2020. Reserve and Guard suicide rates fluctuated year-to-year across 2011-2021, with no increasing or decreasing trend.

25. Additionally, in CY 2020, the report found that 202 dependents died by suicide, including 133 spouses and 69 other dependents.

26. Firearms were the primary method of suicide death for both Service members and family members.