As of 2023, the third leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in the United States was intentional self-harm or suicide, contributing to around 17 percent of deaths among this age group. The leading cause of death at that time was unintentional injuries, contributing to around 38.6 percent of deaths, while 20.7 percent of all deaths in this age group were due to assault or homicide. Cancer and heart disease, the overall leading causes of death in the United States, are also among the leading causes of death among U.S. teenagers. Adolescent suicide in the United States In 2021, around 22 percent of students in grades 9 to 12 reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Female students were around twice as likely to report seriously considering suicide compared to male students. In 2023, New Mexico had the highest rate of suicides among U.S. teenagers, with around 28 deaths per 100,000 teenagers, followed by Idaho with a rate of 22.5 per 100,000. The states with the lowest death rates among adolescents are New Jersey and New York. Mental health treatment Suicidal thoughts are a clear symptom of mental health issues. Mental health issues are not rare among children and adolescents, and treatment for such issues has become increasingly accepted and accessible. In 2021, around 15 percent of boys and girls aged 5 to 17 years had received some form of mental health treatment in the past year. At that time, around 35 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 years in the United States who were receiving specialty mental health services were doing so because they had thought about killing themselves or had already tried to kill themselves.

Over the last few years, gun violence in the United States has become an increasingly deadly public health crisis. In 2021, firearms were the leading cause of death for children and adolescents aged one to 19 years old for a second year in a row in the United States, with ***** deaths from firearms, which accounted for more deaths than car crashes and other diseases in that year. This is an increase from the previous year, when there were ***** deaths from firearms. Gun violence in the U.S. Along with a rise in gun-related deaths, the United States has been experiencing an overall increase in gun violence, including mass shootings, school shootings, and gun homicides. Not surprisingly, the United States has also reported in increase in gun sales, with the unit sales for firearms reaching a new high in recent years. A uniquely American problem Despite the rise of gun violence and gun-related deaths, guns remain easily accessible in the United States and gun control has become a divisive issue throughout the nation. However, gun control proponents often call attention to the uniquely American phenomenon of school shootings. Since 2018, the annual number of incidents involving firearms at K-12 schools in the U.S. reached over *** in each year, while similar incidents in other countries with strict gun laws are exceptionally rare.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

Number of deaths and age-specific mortality rates for selected grouped causes, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

Number of deaths and mortality rates, by age group, sex, and place of residence, 1991 to most recent year.

This table provides an overview of the key figures on health and care available on StatLine. All figures are taken from other tables on StatLine, either directly or through a simple conversion. In the original tables, breakdowns by characteristics of individuals or other variables are possible. The period after the year of review before data become available differs between the data series. The number of exam passes/graduates in year t is the number of persons who obtained a diploma in school/study year starting in t-1 and ending in t.

Data available from: 2001

Status of the figures:

2024: Most available figures are definite. Figures are provisional for: - causes of death; - youth care; - persons employed in health and welfare; - persons employed in healthcare; - Mbo health care graduates; - Hbo nursing graduates / medicine graduates (university).

2023: Most available figures are definite. Figures are provisional for: - perinatal mortality at pregnancy duration at least 24 weeks; - diagnoses known to the general practitioner; - hospital admissions by some diagnoses; - average period of hospitalisation; - supplied drugs; - AWBZ/Wlz-funded long term care; - physicians and nurses employed in care; - persons employed in health and welfare; - average distance to facilities; - profitability and operating results at institutions. Figures are revised provisional for: - expenditures on health and welfare.

2022: Most available figures are definite. Figures are revised provisional for: - expenditures on health and welfare.

2021: Most available figures are definite, Figures are revised provisional for: - expenditures on health and welfare.f

2020 and earlier: All available figures are definite.

Changes as of 4 July 2025: More recent figures have been added for: - causes of death; - life expectancy; - life expectancy in perceived good health; - self-perceived health; - hospital admissions by some diagnoses; - sickness absence; - average period of hospitalisation; - contacts with health professionals; - youth care; - smoking, heavy drinkers, physical activity; - overweight; - high blood pressure; - physicians and nurses employed in care; - persons employed in health and welfare; - persons employed in healthcare; - Mbo health care graduates; - Hbo nursing graduates / medicine graduates (university); - expenditures on health and welfare; - profitability and operating results at institutions.

Changes as of 18 december 2024: - Distance to facilities: the figures withdrawn on 5 June have been replaced (unchanged). - Youth care: the previously published final results for 2021 and 2022 have been adjusted due to improvements in the processing. - Due to a revision of the statistics Expenditure on health and welfare 2021, figures for expenditure on health and welfare care have been replaced from 2021 onwards. - Due to the revision of the National Accounts, the figures on persons employed in health and welfare have been replaced for all years. - AWBZ/Wlz-funded long term care: from 2015, the series Wlz residential care including total package at home has been replaced by total Wlz care. This series fits better with the chosen demarcation of indications for Wlz care.

When will new figures be published? New figures will be published in December 2025.

The child mortality rate in Canada, for children under the age of five, was 333 deaths per thousand births in the year 1830. This means that one third of all children born in 1830 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Child mortality remained above 25 percent for the remainder of the nineteenth century, before falling at a much faster rate throughout the 1900s. By the year 2020, Canada's child mortality rate is expected to be just five deaths per thousand births.

Between the beginning of January 2020 and June 14, 2023, of the 1,134,641 deaths caused by COVID-19 in the United States, around 307,169 had occurred among those aged 85 years and older. This statistic shows the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths in the U.S. from January 2020 to June 2023, by age.

In 2019, there were six deaths by homicide per 100,000 of the population in the United States, compared to 5.9 deaths by homicide in the previous year. This is an increase from 1950, when there were 5.1 deaths by homicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States. However, within the provided time period, the death rate for homicide in the U.S. was highest in 1980, when there were 10.4 deaths by homicide per 100,000 of the population in the United States.

Homicides in the United States

The term homicide is used when a human being is killed by another human being. Criminal homicide takes several forms, for example murder; but homicide is not always a crime, it also includes affirmative defense, insanity, self-defense or the execution of convicted criminals. In the United States, youth homicide has especially been seen as a problem of urban areas, due to poverty, limited adult supervision, involvement in drug and gang activities, and school failure. Both homicide rates and suicide rates in the U.S. among people aged 20 to 24 and teenagers aged 15 to 19 have vastly increased since 2001.

In 2024, Japan reported 16.4 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The country's suicide rate resumed its downward trend after an unexpected surge in recent years, likely connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?  While the majority of suicides in Japan stemmed from health reasons, existential concerns and problems directly related to work also accounted for thousands of self-inflicted deaths in the past years. One of the most profound issues faced by employees in Japan leading to self-harm is exhaustion. “Karoshi,” or death by overwork, is a well-known phenomenon in Japanese society. In addition to physical fatigue, karoshi may be precipitated by mental stress resulting from employment. Occupational stress or overwork-induced suicide is referred to as “karojisatsu (overwork suicide)” in Japan. Which demographic groups are affected? Although *************** are frequently depicted as the most at-risk demographic for suicide in Japan, the increasing occurrence of suicides among the elderly people and schoolchildren is causing concern. Bullying, isolation, and the lack of a proficient mental healthcare system can be additional factors contributing to the country’s high suicide rates among all age groups.