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.

Data on death rates for suicide, by selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time. SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System (NVSS); Grove RD, Hetzel AM. Vital statistics rates in the United States, 1940–1960. National Center for Health Statistics. 1968; numerator data from NVSS annual public-use Mortality Files; denominator data from U.S. Census Bureau national population estimates; and Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Arias E, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2018. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 69 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm. For more information on the National Vital Statistics System, see the corresponding Appendix entry at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-appendix-508.pdf.

As of 2022, the U.S. states with the highest death rates from suicide were Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming. In Wyoming and Montana, there were around **** and **** suicide deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. In comparison, in New Jersey, the state with the lowest suicide death rate, there were only around *** suicide deaths per 100,000 population. Differences in suicide rates by gender In the United States, there is a vast difference in suicide rates between men and women, with rates over *** times higher among men. However, rates of suicide for both men and women have increased over the past couple of decades. Among men, those aged 75 years and older have the highest suicide rates, with around ** deaths per 100,000 population in 2021. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest rates of suicide death with *** deaths per 100,000 population. What is the most common method of suicide? In the United States, the most common method of suicide is with firearms, followed by suffocation and then poisoning. In 2022, there were around ****** suicide deaths from firearms in the United States, compared to ****** deaths from suffocation and ***** from drug poisoning. In 2021, firearms accounted for around ** percent of suicide deaths among men. In comparison, around ** percent of deaths from suicide among women were due to firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for ** percent of such deaths.

According to the latest available data, there were around **** suicide deaths per 100,000 population in the United States in 2023. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. highlighting the need for awareness and prevention. The suicide rate in the U.S. has risen for both men and women in recent years but remains over ***** times higher for men. Hospitalizations In 2021, there were around ******* adults hospitalized in the U.S. after a suicide attempt. Although the suicide rate among men is significantly higher than among women, there are more hospitalizations after suicide attempts for women than for men. In 2019, there were ******* such hospitalizations among women and ******* hospitalizations among men. Public opinionSuicide can be a divisive topic that involves religious and political views. Recent data shows that ** percent of the U.S. population believes suicide is morally wrong, while ** percent believe it to be morally acceptable. However, only ** percent of adults believe it is “very important” to invest public dollars in the prevention of suicide.

New Mexico was the state with the highest rate of suicidal death among adolescents in the U.S. in 2023, with around **** deaths per 100,000 adolescents. The overall suicide rate in the U.S. has increased over recent years. Suicide is more common among men than women, with rates among men almost **** times higher than among women. Risk factors Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders, as well as substance abuse. In fact, suicidal thoughts, plans to commit suicide, and suicide attempts are all more common among those with drug or alcohol dependence or abuse. In terms of suicides due to a known mental disorder, depression accounts for around ** percent of all such suicides. Methods Most suicides in the United States are carried out by firearms, however, the most common method of suicide differs from country to country. In 2022, over ****** suicides in the United States were conducted by firearms, or just over half of all suicides that year. Firearms are the most common means of suicide among both men and women in the United States, but suicide by poisoning is much more common among women than men.

United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data was reported at 23.600 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 23.000 NA for 2015. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 20.700 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.600 NA in 2016 and a record low of 17.900 NA in 2000. United States US: 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 States – Table US.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;

In 2022, there were around **** deaths from suicide per 100,000 population among males in the U.S. aged ** years and *****. 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 ** percent of suicides among males, but only ** 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 ****** firearm suicides and ***** 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 ** percent of those with drug or alcohol dependence or abuse had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, compared to just ***** percent of those with no such substance dependence of abuse. Similarly, around *** percent of those with a major depressive episode in the past year had attempted suicide, while only *** percent of those without a major depressive episode had done so.

Among deaths of despair, the individual and community correlates of US suicides have been consistently identified and are well-known. Yet, the suicide rate has been stubbornly unyielding to reduction efforts, promoting calls for novel research directions. Linking levels of influence have been proposed in theory but blocked by data limitations in the U.S. Guided by theories on the importance of connectedness and responding to unique data challenges of low base rates, geographical dispersion, and appropriate comparison groups, we attempt the first harmonization of data from the National Violence Data Reporting System (NVDRS) and the American Community Survey (ACS) to match individual-county level risks. We theorize cross-level socio-demographic homogeneity between individuals and communities, or “sameness”, focusing on whether having like-others in the community moderates known individual suicide risks. While analyses from this new Multi-level Suicide Data for the US (MSD-US) replicate several individual and contextual findings, considering sameness changes usual understandings of risk in two critical ways. First, the high individual risk for suicide among those who are unemployed, younger, not US born, widowed or married, unemployed, or have physical disabilities is cut substantially with greater sameness. Second, this moderating pattern flips for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Asians and Hispanics, as well as among native-born and unmarried individuals, where low individual suicide risk increases significantly in places of greater similarity. Results mark the joint influence of social structure and culture, deliver unique insights on the complexity of connectedness in suicide, and offer novel considerations for policy and practice.

Historical dataset showing North America suicide rate by year from 2000 to 2021.

Historical dataset showing Central America suicide rate by year from N/A to N/A.

Number of suicides and suicide rates, by sex and age, in England and Wales. Information on conclusion type is provided, along with the proportion of suicides by method and the median registration delay.

United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data was reported at 15.300 Number in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 15.000 Number for 2015. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data is updated yearly, averaging 13.200 Number from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.300 Number in 2016 and a record low of 11.300 Number in 2000. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: per 100,000 Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: 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;

Historical dataset showing U.S. suicide rate by year from 2000 to 2021.

United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 7.200 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.100 NA for 2015. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 5.900 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.200 NA in 2016 and a record low of 4.900 NA in 2000. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.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;

In the United States, the suicide rate among males working in construction and extraction was **** per 100,000 population. In contrast, the suicide rate among males working in education, training, and library occupations was **** per 100,000 population. This statistic shows the suicide rate among working male civilians in the U.S. in 2021, by occupation.

Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) in United States was reported at 15.63 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Linkages between climate and mental health are often theorized but remain poorly quantified. In particular, it is unknown whether suicide, a leading cause of death globally, is systematically affected by climatic conditions. Using multiple decades of comprehensive data from both the US and Mexico, we find that suicide rates rise 0.7% in US counties and 2.1% in Mexican municipalities for a 1C increase in monthly average temperature. This effect is similar in hotter versus cooler regions and has not diminished over time, indicating limited historical adaptation. Analysis of depressive language in >600 million social media updates further suggests that mental wellbeing deteriorates during warmer periods. We project that unmitigated climate change (RCP8.5) could result in a combined 9-40 thousand additional suicides (95% CI) across the US and Mexico by 2050, representing an change in suicide rates comparable to the estimated impact of economic recessions, suicide prevention programs, or gun restriction laws.

Historical dataset showing Latin America & Caribbean suicide rate by year from 2000 to 2021.

The average for 2019 based on 20 countries was 5.48 suicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in the USA: 16.1 suicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Antigua and Barbuda: 0.4 suicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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.