Suicide Statistics

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Emergency Room Visits

• Emergency room visits for self-inflicted injury: 400,000

All suicides

• Number of deaths: 30,622
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 10.8

Firearm Suicides

• Number of deaths: 16,869
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 5.9

Suffocation Suicides

• Number of deaths: 6,198
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 2.2

Poisoning Suicides

• Number of deaths: 5,191
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 1.8

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Breakdown by Gender / Ethnicity / Young, Old Age Groups

                                             Rate Per
                   Number        Per Day      100,000    % of Deaths    
Total .............30,622..........83.9.........10.8..........1.3 
Males .............24,672..........67.6.........17.6..........2.1 
Females.............5,950..........16.3..........4.1..........0.5 
Whites.............27,710..........75.9.........11.9..........1.3 
Nonwhites...........2,912...........8.0..........5.6..........0.9 
Blacks..............1,957...........5.4..........5.3..........0.7 
Elderly (65+ yrs.) .5,393..........14.8.........15.3..........0.3 
Young (15-24 yrs.)..3,971..........10.9..........9.9.........12.3

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Further Breakdown by Gender / Ethnicity

                             Rate Per
Group        # of Suicides   100,000
White Male.......22,328........19.5
White Female .....5,382.........4.6
Nonwhite Male ....2,344.........9.3
Nonwhite Female ....568.........2.1
Black Male .......1,627.........9.2
Black Female........330.........1.7
Hispanic...........1850.........5.0

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Suicide Methods

                                      Rate Per
                          Number      100,000     % of Total
Firearms..................16,869........5.9.........55.1
All Other Methods.........13,753........4.8.........49.9
Hanging or Suffocation.....6,198........2.2.........20.2
Poisoning..................5,191........1.8.........17.0
Falls........................651........0.2..........2.1
Cutting / Pieercing..........458........0.2..........1.5
Drowning.....................339........0.1..........1.1
Fire.........................147........0.1..........0.5

Note that firearms are, by far, the most common method for suicide (55% of all suicides are completed with a firearm). Thus it is imperative that a suicidal person not have access to a firearm.

Hanging or suffocation is used in about one out of five suicides, which is why you can never leave an acutely suicidal person alone for a second. People who have died by hanging have used virtually every conceivable thing to hang themselves with, including shoe laces, electric cords, belts, bedsheets,etc. Again, never leave an acutely suicidal person alone.

Poisoning accouts for slightly less than one out of five suicides.

The three most common methods of suicide – firearms, hanging, and poisoning – account for 92.3% of all suicides.

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Actual Suicides

1.3% of all deaths are from suicide.

On average, one suicide occurs every 17 minutes.

On average, an elderly person dies by suicide every 1 hour and 37 minutes.

On average, a young person (age 15-24) dies by suicide every 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death for all Americans.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 year olds.
(1st = accidents, 2nd = homicide)

Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death for young people aged 5-14 year olds.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.

Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for males.

Suicide is the nineteenth leading cause of death for females.

More males die from suicide than females.
(4 male deaths by suicide for each female death by suicide.)

More people die from suicide than from homicide.
(Suicide ranks as the 11th leading cause of death; Homicide ranks 13th.)

73% of all suicide deaths are white males.

80% of all firearm suicide deaths are white males.

Among the highest rates (when categorized by gender and race) are suicide deaths for white men over 85. (54 per 100,000)

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Attempted Suicides

There are approximately 750,000 suicide attempts each year.

An estimated 5 million living Americans have attempted suicide.

More females attempt suicide than males.
(3 female attempts for each male attempt.)

U.S. Suicide Statistics (2001)

Survivors of Suicide

Each suicide intimately affects at least 6 other people. (estimate)

Based on the 742,000+ suicides from 1977 through 2001, it is estimated that the number of survivors of suicides is 4.45 million (1 out of every 64 Americans).

Since, on average, a suicide occurs every 17 minutes, then there are about 6 new suicide survivors every 17 minutes as well.

U.S. Suicide Statistics (1990-2001)

Suicide Rates

Breakdown by Age Groups

                             (Rates Per 100,000)
 
Age       1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

5-14       0.8  0.7  0.9  0.9  0.9  0.9  0.8  0.8  0.8  0.6  0.8  0.7 
15-24     13.2 13.1 13.0 13.5 13.8 13.3 12.0 11.4 11.1 10.3 10.4  9.9 
25-34     15.2 15.2 14.5 15.1 15.4 15.4 14.5 14.3 13.8 13.5 12.8 12.8 
35-44     15.3 14.7 15.1 15.1 15.3 15.2 15.5 15.3 15.4 14.4 14.6 14.7 
45-54     14.8 15.5 14.7 14.5 14.4 14.6 14.9 14.7 14.8 14.2 14.6 15.2 
55-64     16.0 15.4 14.8 14.6 13.4 13.3 13.7 13.5 13.1 12.4 12.3 13.1 
65-74     17.9 16.9 16.5 16.3 15.3 15.8 15.0 14.4 14.1 13.6 12.6 13.3 
75-84     24.9 23.5 22.8 22.3 21.3 20.7 20.0 19.3 19.7 18.3 17.7 17.4 
85+       22.2 24.0 21.9 22.8 23.0 21.6 20.2 20.8 21.0 19.2 19.4 17.5 
65+       20.5 19.7 19.1 19.0 18.1 18.1 17.3 16.8 16.9 15.9 15.3 15.3 
Total     12.4 12.2 12.0 12.1 12.0 11.9 11.6 11.4 11.3 10.7 10.7 10.8 

Note the relatively low suicide rate in the 5-14 range. But keep in mind that very young children can, and sometimes do, die by suicide.

Also note the significant increase in the suicide rate in the 75+ range. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to suicide, and it is up to us to be alert for warning signs, and to get immediate help for those in need.

U.S. Suicide Statistics (1990-2001)

Suicide Rates

Breakdown by Gender / Ethnicity

                             (Rates Per 100,000)
 
Group     1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 

Males     20.4 20.1 19.6 19.9 19.8 19.8 19.3 18.7 18.6 17.6 17.5 17.6 
Females    4.8  4.7  4.6  4.6  4.5  4.4  4.4  4.4  4.4  4.1  4.1  4.1 
White     13.5 13.3 13.0 13.1 12.9 12.9 12.7 12.4 12.4 11.7 11.7 11.9 
Nonwhite   7.0  6.8  6.8  7.1  7.2  6.9  6.7  6.5  6.2  6.0  5.9  5.6 
Black      6.9  6.7  6.8  7.0  7.0  6.7  6.5  6.2  5.7  5.6  5.6  5.3 

Note the significant difference in the rates between males and females – there are about 4 male deaths by suicide for each female death by suicide. But keep in mind that there are about 3 female attempts for every male attempt.

We all must be alert to anyone who is potentially suicidal and get them the help that they need as soon as possible.