Since the 1950s, the suicide rate in the United States has been significantly higher among men than women. In 2019, the suicide rate among men was over 3.5 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.
In 2020, 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 58 percent of all suicides among men and just 33 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.
Deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States from 1950 to 2021, by gender
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
US Department of Health and Human Services. (April 13, 2023). Deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States from 1950 to 2021, by gender [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/
US Department of Health and Human Services. "Deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States from 1950 to 2021, by gender." Chart. April 13, 2023. Statista. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/
US Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States from 1950 to 2021, by gender. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/
US Department of Health and Human Services. "Deaths by Suicide per 100,000 Resident Population in The United States from 1950 to 2021, by Gender." Statista, Statista Inc., 13 Apr 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/
US Department of Health and Human Services, Deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States from 1950 to 2021, by gender Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/ (last visited October 10, 2024)
Deaths by suicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States from 1950 to 2021, by gender [Graph], US Department of Health and Human Services, April 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/187478/death-rate-from-suicide-in-the-us-by-gender-since-1950/