Among men in the United States, those aged 75 years and older have the highest death rate from suicide among all age groups. In 2022, the suicide death rate among men aged 75 years and older was 43.9 per 100,000 population. In comparison, the death rate from suicide among men aged 25 to 44 years was 29.6 per 100,000. Suicide is a significant problem in the United States, with rates increasing over the past decade. Suicide among men In the United States, the suicide rate among men is almost four times higher than that of women. In 2022, the rate of suicide among U.S. men was 23 per 100,000 population, the highest rate recorded over the past 70 years. Firearms account for the vast majority of suicide deaths among men, accounting for around 60 percent of male suicides in 2021. The reasons why U.S. men have higher rates of suicide than women are complex and not fully understood, but may have to do with the more violent means by which men carry out suicide and the stigma around seeking help for mental health issues. Suicide among women Although the suicide rate among women in the U.S. is significantly lower than that of men, the rate of suicide among women has increased over the past couple of decades. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest death rates due to suicide, followed by women 25 to 44 years old. Interestingly, the share of women reporting serious thoughts of suicide in the past year is higher than that of men, with around 5.5 percent of U.S. women reporting such thoughts in 2023. Similarly to men, firearms account for most suicide deaths among women, however suffocation and poisoning account for a significant share of suicides among women. In 2021, around 35 percent of suicides among women were carried out by firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for around 28 percent of suicide deaths.

The suicide rate among females in the United States is highest for those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among girls aged 10 to 14 and elderly women 75 and over. Although the suicide rate among women remains over three times lower than that of men, rates of suicide among women have gradually increased over the past couple decades. Suicide among women in the United States In 2021, there were around six suicide deaths per 100,000 women in the United States. In comparison, the rate of suicide among women in the year 2000 was about four per 100,000. Suicide rates among women are by far the highest among American Indians or Alaska Natives and lowest among Hispanic and Black or African American women. Although firearms are involved in the highest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, they account for a much smaller share among women. In 2020, the firearm suicide rate among women was 1.8 per 100,000 population, while the rates of suicide for suffocation and poisoning were 1.7 and 1.5 per 100,000, respectively. Suicidal ideation among women Although not everyone who experiences suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, will attempt suicide, suicidal thoughts are a risk factor for suicide. In 2022, just over five percent of women in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Suicidal thoughts are more common among women than men even though men have much higher rates of death from suicide than women. This is because men are more likely to use more lethal methods of suicide such as firearms. Women who suffer from substance use disorder are significantly more likely to have serious thoughts of suicide than women without substance use disorder.

In 2021, there were around 42.2 deaths from suicide per 100,000 population among males in the U.S. aged 75 years and older. Males aged 75 years and older were more likely to die from suicide than any other age group for both males and females. The suicide death rate for males in general is constantly greater than that for females. Suicide method by gender Not only do suicide rates differ by gender, but the method of suicide varies as well. Suicide by firearm accounts for 56 percent of suicides among males, but only 31 percent of those among females. However, suicide by poisoning accounts for a much larger share of suicides among females than males. In 2019, there were a total of 23,941 firearm suicides and 6,125 poisoning suicides. Substance abuse, mental health, and suicide Those who suffer from substance abuse and certain mental health disorders are at a much greater risk of falling victim to suicide. It’s been found that around 14 percent of those with drug or alcohol dependence or abuse had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, compared to just three percent of those with no such substance dependence of abuse. Similarly, around 3.6 percent of those with a major depressive episode in the past year had attempted suicide, while only 0.2 percent of those without a major depressive episode had done so.

BackgroundIn Europe, men have lower rates of attempted suicide compared to women and at the same time a higher rate of completed suicides, indicating major gender differences in lethality of suicidal behaviour. The aim of this study was to analyse the extent to which these gender differences in lethality can be explained by factors such as choice of more lethal methods or lethality differences within the same suicide method or age. In addition, we explored gender differences in the intentionality of suicide attempts.Methods and FindingsMethods. Design: Epidemiological study using a combination of self-report and official data. Setting: Mental health care services in four European countries: Germany, Hungary, Ireland, and Portugal. Data basis: Completed suicides derived from official statistics for each country (767 acts, 74.4% male) and assessed suicide attempts excluding habitual intentional self-harm (8,175 acts, 43.2% male).Main Outcome Measures and Data Analysis. We collected data on suicidal acts in eight regions of four European countries participating in the EU-funded “OSPI-Europe”-project (www.ospi-europe.com). We calculated method-specific lethality using the number of completed suicides per method * 100 / (number of completed suicides per method + number of attempted suicides per method). We tested gender differences in the distribution of suicidal acts for significance by using the χ2-test for two-by-two tables. We assessed the effect sizes with phi coefficients (φ). We identified predictors of lethality with a binary logistic regression analysis. Poisson regression analysis examined the contribution of choice of methods and method-specific lethality to gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts.Findings Main ResultsSuicidal acts (fatal and non-fatal) were 3.4 times more lethal in men than in women (lethality 13.91% (regarding 4106 suicidal acts) versus 4.05% (regarding 4836 suicidal acts)), the difference being significant for the methods hanging, jumping, moving objects, sharp objects and poisoning by substances other than drugs. Median age at time of suicidal behaviour (35–44 years) did not differ between males and females. The overall gender difference in lethality of suicidal behaviour was explained by males choosing more lethal suicide methods (odds ratio (OR) = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.50; p < 0.000001) and additionally, but to a lesser degree, by a higher lethality of suicidal acts for males even within the same method (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.02; p = 0.000005). Results of a regression analysis revealed neither age nor country differences were significant predictors for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. The proportion of serious suicide attempts among all non-fatal suicidal acts with known intentionality (NFSAi) was significantly higher in men (57.1%; 1,207 of 2,115 NFSAi) than in women (48.6%; 1,508 of 3,100 NFSAi) (χ2 = 35.74; p < 0.000001).Main limitations of the studyDue to restrictive data security regulations to ensure anonymity in Ireland, specific ages could not be provided because of the relatively low absolute numbers of suicide in the Irish intervention and control region. Therefore, analyses of the interaction between gender and age could only be conducted for three of the four countries. Attempted suicides were assessed for patients presenting to emergency departments or treated in hospitals. An unknown rate of attempted suicides remained undetected. This may have caused an overestimation of the lethality of certain methods. Moreover, the detection of attempted suicides and the registration of completed suicides might have differed across the four countries. Some suicides might be hidden and misclassified as undetermined deaths.ConclusionsMen more often used highly lethal methods in suicidal behaviour, but there was also a higher method-specific lethality which together explained the large gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. Gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts were fairly consistent across all four European countries examined. Males and females did not differ in age at time of suicidal behaviour. Suicide attempts by males were rated as being more serious independent of the method used, with the exceptions of attempted hanging, suggesting gender differences in intentionality associated with suicidal behaviour. These findings contribute to understanding of the spectrum of reasons for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal behaviour and should inform the development of gender specific strategies for suicide prevention.

In England and Wales, the definition of suicide is a death with an underlying cause of intentional self-harm or an injury or poisoning with undetermined intent. In 2022, the age group with the highest rate of suicide was for those aged 50 to 54 years at 15.3 deaths per 100,000. The age groups 45 to 49 years with 14.5 deaths per 100,000 population had the second highest highest rate of suicides in the UK. Gender difference in suicides The suicide rate among men in England and Wales in 2022 was around three times higher than for women, the figures being 16.4 per 100,000 population for men compared to 5.4 for women. Although among both genders the suicide rate increased in 2021 compared to 2020. Mental health in the UK Over 53 thousand people in England were detained under the Mental Health Act in the period 2020/21. Alongside this, there has also been an increase in the number of workers in Great Britain suffering from stress, depression or anxiety. In 2022/23, around 875 thousand workers reported to be suffering from these work-related issues.

Since the 1950s, the suicide rate in the United States has been significantly higher among men than women. In 2022, the suicide rate among men was almost four times higher than that of women. However, the rate of suicide for both men and women has increased gradually over the past couple of decades. Facts on suicide in the United States In 2022, the rate of suicide death in the United States was around 14 per 100,000 population. The suicide rate in the U.S. has generally increased since the year 2000, with the highest rates ever recorded in the years 2018 and 2022. In the United States, death rates from suicide are highest among those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among younger adults aged 15 to 24. The states with the highest rates of suicide are Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming, while New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest rates. Suicide among men In 2023, around 4.5 percent of men in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Although this rate is lower than that of women, men still have a higher rate of suicide death than women. One reason for this may have to do with the method of suicide. Although firearms account for the largest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, firearms account for almost 60 percent of all suicides among men and just 35 percent among women. Suffocation and poisoning are the other most common methods of suicide among women, with the chances of surviving a suicide attempt from these methods being much higher than surviving an attempt by firearm. The age group with the highest rate of suicide death among men is by far those aged 75 years and over.

Number of suicides, suicide rates and median registration delays, by local authority in England and Wales.

Mortality from intentional self-harm and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted (ICD-10 X60-X84, Y10-Y34 equivalent to ICD-9 E950-E959 and E980-E989 exc E988.8). To reduce the number of suicides. Legacy unique identifier: P00542

In 2023, the 50 to 59-year age group had the highest suicide rate in Japan, with 23.4 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Middle-aged men are frequently portrayed as the highest-risk group for suicide in Japan. On the other hand, suicides among the elderly and schoolchildren are also recurrently picked up by the media. Japan's recent suicide rates Japan’s suicide numbers peaked in 2009 when the country experienced its worst recession since World War II. That same year, the suicide rate surged to 25.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants and almost 33 thousand victims in total. While the country's suicide rate has shown a steady downward trend in the most recent decade, 2020 marked the first time within the past decade that suicide numbers were rising again. The COVID-19 pandemic likely caused this upward trend.From a gender perspective, Japanese men are more likely to commit suicide than women. In 2023, 24.6 deaths per 100,000 male inhabitants were reported, compared to a female suicide rate of 10.9 in the same year.  What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?  Many factors are being blamed for the Japan's high suicide rates, including financial anxiety, bullying, isolation, and a lack of a proficient mental healthcare system. Historically, the country's high suicide rates have been closely linked to the economic situation of the individuals. Existential worries and problems directly related to work have been one of the main reasons for self-inflicted deaths in the past years.In the past 10 years, one of the most profound issues faced by employees in Japan leading to self-harm was exhaustion. An increasing pressure of retaining jobs by putting in more hours of overtime, while taking fewer holidays and sick days, are considered the main motivators behind the rising suicide numbers among office workers and employees. Occupational sudden mortality, known as karoshi (“death by overwork”) is a well-known phenomenon in Japanese society. Besides physical pressure, mental stress from the workplace can cause karoshi. Suicide due to occupational stress or overwork is called karojisatsu (“overwork suicide”) in Japan.

This table contains the number of victims of suicide arranged by marital status, method, motives, age and sex. They represent the number deaths by suicide in the resident population of the Netherlands.

The figures in this table are equal to the suicide figures in the causes of death statistics, because they are based on the same files. The causes of death statistics do not contain information on the motive of suicide. For the years 1950-1995, this information is obtained from a historical data file on suicides. For the years 1996-now the motive is taken from the external causes of death (Niet-Natuurlijke dood) file. Before the 9th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), i.e. for the years 1950-1978, it was not possible to code "jumping in front of train/metro". For these years 1950-1978 "jumping in front of train/metro" has been left empty, and it has been counted in the group "other method".

Relative figures have been calculated per 100 000 of the corresponding population group. The figures are calculated based on the average population of the corresponding year.

Data available from: 1950

Status of the figures: The figures up to and including 2023 are final.

Changes as of January 23rd 2025: The figures for 2023 are made final.

When will new figures be published: In the third quarter of 2025 the provisional figures for 2024 will be published.

Average Annual Numbers and Rates of Suicide Fatalities in NS by age group and sex, time periods: 2010-2012, 2013-2015, 2016-2018, 2019-2021.

Legacy unique identifier: P00542

United Kingdom UK: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 13.500 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.100 NA for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 13.100 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.700 NA in 2000 and a record low of 11.900 NA in 2010. United Kingdom UK: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Mortality rate has been age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. ICD-10 codes used to identify suicides are X60-X84, Y87.0, and U03. Single-year data are only available for Los Angeles County overall, Service Planning Areas, Supervisorial Districts, City of Los Angeles overall, and City of Los Angeles Council Districts.Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in Los Angeles County, affecting individuals of all ages and races and ethnicities. While there is a strong association between suicide and health conditions, such as mood and anxiety disorders or substance use disorders, suicide is rarely caused by a single circumstance and is more often due to a combination of individual, relational, and environmental factors. Individual factors can include history of mental illness, previous suicide attempts, adverse childhood events, or financial hardship. Relational factors include experiences of bullying, loss of relationships, or social isolation. Environmental factors include lack of access to healthcare, community violence, or social stigma associated with seeking help for a mental illness.For more information about the Community Health Profiles Data Initiative, please see the initiative homepage.

In Canada, the suicide rate among females in 2021 was highest among those aged 50 to 54 years. At that time there were around 6.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 population among females aged 50 to 54 years. This statistic shows the suicide death rate among females in Canada in 2021, by age.

This scatter chart displays suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) against median age (year) and is filtered where the country is Georgia. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) and is filtered where the region is Micronesia. The data is about countries.

This scatter chart displays suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) against median age (year) and is filtered where the country is Equatorial Guinea. The data is about countries per year.

Bosnia and Herzegovina BA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 14.100 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.300 NA for 2015. Bosnia and Herzegovina BA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 14.300 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.300 NA in 2000 and a record low of 12.900 NA in 2010. Bosnia and Herzegovina BA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bosnia and Herzegovina – Table BA.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Serbia RS: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 23.500 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 22.300 NA for 2015. Serbia RS: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 23.900 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.800 NA in 2000 and a record low of 22.300 NA in 2015. Serbia RS: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Serbia – Table RS.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;