Statistics and facts on Suicide

Suicide is the act of a person intentionally causing their own death. Suicide is a major public health problem in many countries and is often connected to depression, mental disorders or substance abuse. In the United States, suicide was one of the most frequent causes of death in 2014. Since the 1950s, the death rate from suicide has only slightly decreased, in fact, it increased again after a slight dip in the early Noughties. The major cause of death in the United States is heart disease.

A big gender difference exists in regards to suicide in the United States. According to gender-based suicide statistics by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is much more common among men in the United States. In every age group, the male suicide rate is considerably higher than the female rate and overall almost four times as many men as women die as a result of suicide. Leaving gender aside, the data shows that suicide is a problem across all age groups. The highest suicide rate lies with people between 45 and 64 and is reported to be at more than 19 deaths per 100,000 people in that age group in 2014, again, a slight increase from the previous year. Pre-teenage suicide is fortunately very rare, with only 0.5 cases per 100,000 Americans aged 5 to 14 years.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

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