TABLE. Annual number of suicides and rates of suicide* (suicides per 100,000 population), by race and ethnicity and age group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2018–2021.
| Race and ethnicity†/Year | Total no. of deaths | Rate (95% CI) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age-adjusted§ | Age group, yrs |
|||||
| 10–24 | 25–44 | 45–64 | ≥65 | |||
|
American Indian or Alaska Native
| ||||||
| 2018 |
545 |
22.3
(20.4–24.2) |
31.1
(26.4–35.8) |
39.5
(34.7–44.3) |
15.8
(12.8–19.4) |
—¶ |
| 2019 |
546 |
22.5
(20.5–24.4) |
29.9
(25.2–34.5) |
39.3
(34.6–44.0) |
16.4
(13.3–20.0) |
8.0
(5.1–11.8) |
| 2020 |
588 |
23.9
(21.9–25.9) |
33.0
(28.2–37.9) |
41.6
(36.7–46.4) |
17.7
(14.3–21.1) |
7.2
(4.6–10.9) |
| 2021 |
692 |
28.1
(26.0–30.2) |
36.3
(31.2–41.3) |
52.8
(47.3–58.2) |
16.4
(13.3–20.1) |
10.7
(7.4–14.8) |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
26.0†† |
16.7 |
33.7†† |
3.8 |
NA |
|
Asian
| ||||||
| 2018 |
1,315 |
6.7
(6.4–7.1) |
8.5
(7.5–9.4) |
7.2
(6.6–7.9) |
8.2
(7.4–9.1) |
8.0
(6.8–9.1) |
| 2019 |
1,342 |
6.7
(6.3–7.1) |
7.7
(6.8–8.6) |
7.8
(7.1–8.5) |
8.2
(7.3–9.0) |
8.1
(7.0–9.3) |
| 2020 |
1,302 |
6.4
(6.1–6.8) |
7.4
(6.5–8.3) |
7.4
(6.7–8.1) |
7.6
(6.8–8.4) |
8.3
(7.2–9.4) |
| 2021 |
1,379 |
6.8
(6.4–7.1) |
9.4
(8.4–10.4) |
7.9
(7.2–8.6) |
6.9
(6.1–7.6) |
7.8
(6.7–8.8) |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
1.5 |
10.6 |
9.7 |
–15.9†† |
-2.5 |
|
Black or African American
| ||||||
| 2018 |
3,022 |
7.3
(7.0–7.5) |
8.2
(7.6–8.8) |
11.8
(11.2–12.4) |
7.0
(6.5–7.5) |
4.4
(3.8–5.0) |
| 2019 |
3,115 |
7.5
(7.2–7.7) |
8.5
(7.9–9.1) |
12.1
(11.4–12.7) |
7.1
(6.6–7.7) |
4.4
(3.8–4.9) |
| 2020 |
3,286 |
7.8
(7.5–8.1) |
9.9
(9.3–10.6) |
12.7
(12.1–13.3) |
6.6
(6.1–7.1) |
4.3
(3.7–4.9) |
| 2021 |
3,692 |
8.7
(8.4–9.0) |
11.2
(10.5–11.9) |
14.5
(13.8–15.2) |
6.8
(6.3–7.3) |
4.4
(3.9–5.0) |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
19.2†† |
36.6†† |
22.9†† |
–2.9 |
0 |
|
Hispanic or Latino
| ||||||
| 2018 |
4,313 |
7.4
(7.2–7.7) |
7.3
(6.9–7.8) |
10.3
(9.8–10.8) |
8.6
(8.1–9.1) |
7.4
(6.6–8.3) |
| 2019 |
4,331 |
7.3
(7.0–7.5) |
7.5
(7.1–8.0) |
10.3
(9.8–10.7) |
8.5
(8.0–9.1) |
5.9
(5.2–6.6) |
| 2020 |
4,571 |
7.5
(7.3–7.8) |
7.9
(7.4–8.3) |
11.3
(10.8–11.8) |
7.5
(7.1–8.0) |
6.9
(6.1–7.6) |
| 2021 |
4,907 |
7.9
(7.7–8.1) |
7.9
(7.4–8.3) |
12.3
(11.8–12.8) |
7.8
(7.3–8.3) |
6.9
(6.2–7.7) |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
6.8†† |
8.2 |
19.4†† |
–9.3†† |
–6.8 |
|
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
| ||||||
| 2018 |
73 |
11.9
(9.3–15.0) |
—¶ |
21.7
(15.6–29.4) |
—¶ |
—¶ |
| 2019 |
90 |
14.4
(11.5–17.7) |
16.6
(10.3–25.3) |
25.9
(19.2–34.2) |
—¶ |
—¶ |
| 2020 |
79 |
12.5
(9.9–15.6) |
18.9
(12.1–28.1) |
18.9
(13.3–26.0) |
—¶ |
—¶ |
| 2021 |
82 |
12.6
(10.0–15.7) |
16.2
(10.0–24.8) |
22.7
(16.6–30.4) |
—¶ |
—¶ |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
5.9 |
NA |
4.6 |
NA |
NA |
|
White
| ||||||
| 2018 |
38,415 |
18.1
(17.9–18.3) |
12.9
(12.5–13.2) |
23.3
(22.9–23.7) |
26.1
(25.6–26.5) |
20.7
(20.2–21.1) |
| 2019 |
37,428 |
17.7
(17.5–17.9) |
12.0
(11.6–12.4) |
23.0
(22.6–23.5) |
25.3
(24.9–25.7) |
20.4
(20.0–20.8) |
| 2020 |
35,442 |
16.9
(16.7–17.0) |
12.0
(11.6–12.3) |
22.7
(22.2–23.1) |
22.6
(22.2–23.0) |
19.7
(19.2–20.1) |
| 2021 |
36,681 |
17.4
(17.3–17.6) |
12.4
(12.0–12.8) |
23.3
(22.9–23.7) |
23.1
(22.7–23.5) |
20.9
(20.4–21.3) |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
–3.9†† |
–3.9 |
0 |
–11.5†† |
1.0 |
|
Multiracial
| ||||||
| 2018 |
514 |
9.0
(8.1–9.8) |
7.2
(6.1–8.3) |
13.1
(11.3–14.9) |
11.4
(9.2–13.6) |
7.2
(4.8–10.3) |
| 2019 |
527 |
8.8
(8.0–9.6) |
7.2
(6.1–8.3) |
13.5
(11.8–15.2) |
11.6
(9.4–13.7) |
4.7
(2.8–7.2) |
| 2020 |
599 |
9.6
(8.7–10.4) |
8.0
(6.8–9.1) |
15.4
(13.6–17.2) |
11.3
(9.2–13.4) |
5.7
(3.7–8.4) |
| 2021 |
631 |
9.7
(8.9–10.5) |
8.2
(7.0–9.3) |
15.8
(14.0–17.6) |
10.0
(8.1–12.1) |
7.4
(5.1–10.2) |
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 |
NA |
7.8 |
13.9 |
20.6†† |
–12.3 |
2.8 |
|
Total§§
| ||||||
|
2018
|
48,344
|
14.2
(14.1–14.4)
|
10.7
(10.4–10.9)
|
17.9
(17.6–18.1)
|
20.1
(19.8–20.4)
|
17.4
(17.0–17.7)
|
|
2019
|
47,511
|
13.9
(13.8–14.1)
|
10.2
(10.0–10.5)
|
17.8
(17.5–18.1)
|
19.5
(19.2–19.8)
|
17.0
(16.6–17.3)
|
|
2020
|
45,979
|
13.5
(13.4–13.6)
|
10.5
(10.2–10.7)
|
17.9
(17.6–18.2)
|
17.4
(17.1–17.7)
|
16.4
(16.1–16.8)
|
|
2021
|
48,183
|
14.1
(14.0–14.2)
|
11.0
(10.8–11.3)
|
18.8
(18.5–19.1)
|
17.6
(17.3–17.9)
|
17.3
(16.9–17.6)
|
| Relative rate change, %** 2018–2021 | NA | –0.7 | 2.8 | 5.0†† | −12.4†† | −0.6 |
Abbreviation: NA = not applicable.
* Suicide deaths were identified by using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision underlying cause-of-death codes U03, X60–X84, and Y87.0. † Data for Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) origin should be interpreted with caution; studies comparing Hispanic origin on death certificates and on U.S. Census Bureau surveys have shown inconsistent reporting on Hispanic ethnicity. Potential racial misclassification might lead to underestimates for certain categories, primarily American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, and other Pacific Islander decedents. Single-race estimates are presented and might not be comparable to earlier years produced by bridging multiple races to a single race choice. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race. Racial groups exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Persons with unknown ethnicity are excluded from race and ethnicity groups but are included in the overall total.
§ Age-adjusted rates (suicides per 100,000 population) were calculated using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau standard population.
¶ Rates are flagged as unreliable or suppressed when the rate is calculated with a numerator of <20, or the data meet the criteria for confidentiality constraints (<10 deaths).
** Relative change was calculated using the following equation: (2021 rate – 2018 rate) / 2018 rate x 100 (for significant difference during 2018–2021, p<0.05. Z-tests were used if the number of deaths was ≥100; nonoverlapping CIs based on the gamma method were used if the number of deaths was ≤100). Data were accessed on CDC WONDER on January 11, 2023.
†† Statistically significant at p<0.05.
§§ Includes decedents of unknown ethnicity.