Suicide Increases in 2021 After Two Years of Decline

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For Immediate Release: September 30, 2022

Contact: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, Office of Communication (301) 458-4800
E-mail: paoquery@cdc.gov

Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate that both the number and the rate of suicides in the United States increased 4 percent from 2020 to 2021, after two consecutive years of decline in 2019 and 2020.

The findings are featured in a new report, “Provisional Numbers and Rates of Suicide by Month and Demographic Characteristics: United States, 2021.” The new provisional data show the number of suicides increased from 45,979 in 2020 to 47,646 in 2021. The number of suicides in 2021 was still lower than the all-time high of 48,344 in 2018.

The rate of suicides per 100,000 increased from 13.5 in 2020 to 14.0 in 2021, which is still lower than the modern peak of 14.2 in 2018.

Other findings in the new report:

  • The number of suicides was higher in nine months during 2021 compared to 2020, with the largest increase occurring in October (+11%).
  • The increase in suicides was higher among males (4%) than females (2%), as was the increase in the suicide rate (+3% for males and +2% for females).
  • The largest increase in the rate of suicide occurred among males ages 15-24 – an 8% increase. Suicide rates also increased for males ages 25-34, 35-44, and 65-74.

The new report will be available at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr024.pdf.