QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates,*,by Race/Ethnicity — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2015–2016

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The figure above is a bar chart comparing the age-adjusted suicide rate by race/ethnicity for the U.S. population for 2015 with 2016. Overall, the rate increased from 13.3 per 100,000 to 13.5. The rate increased from 5.8 to 6.3 for non-Hispanic blacks and from 6.2 to 6.7 for Hispanics. In both 2015 and 2016, the non-Hispanic white rate was nearly three times the non-Hispanic black rate and 2.5 times the rate for the Hispanic population.

* Deaths per 100,000 population are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.

As underlying cause of death, suicide is identified with International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes X60–X84, Y87.0, and also code U03.

From 2015 to 2016, the age-adjusted suicide rate for the total U.S. population increased from 13.3 per 100,000 standard population to 13.5 (an increase of 1.5%). The rate increased from 5.8 to 6.3 (8.6%) for non-Hispanic blacks and from 6.2 to 6.7 (8.1%) for Hispanics; it remained unchanged for non-Hispanic whites. In both 2015 and 2016, the non-Hispanic white rate was nearly three times the non-Hispanic black rate and 2.5 times the rate for the Hispanic population.

Source: National Vital Statistics System. Underlying cause of death data, 1999–2016. https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html.

Reported by: Jiaquan Xu, MD, jiaquanxu@cdc.gov, 301-458-4086.

For more information on this topic, CDC recommends the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/index.html.


Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates,by Race/Ethnicity — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2015–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:433. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6714a6external icon.

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