After A Two-Year Decline, US Suicide Rates Rose In 2021: Who's At Highest Risk?

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate in the U.S. increased in 2021, following two years of decline. Close to 47,600 deaths were recorded as suicides in 2021. 

In 2018, the number of suicidal deaths in the U.S. was at an all-time high of 48,300 suicide deaths. 

The CDC data shows, that age-adjusted U.S. suicides were at a rate of about 14 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, up from 13.5 per 100,000 in 2020. 

“It’s disappointing to see that it went up at all. We need to keep working to improve our tools for assessment and intervention,” The Wall Street Journal quoted Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, saying. 

Suicide rates rose by 35% in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018 before declining in 2019 and 2020.

According to the report, young men between 15 and 24 were hit hardest, with an 8% increase in their suicide rate. Increases also occurred among men 25 to 44 and 65 to 75, according to the report.

The increase in suicides was 4% for men and 2% for women, while the suicide rate increased by 3% for men and 2% for women.

The data shows a high risk of suicide among Native Americans, lesbians, gay or bisexuals, middle-aged adults, and people in rural areas. 

Other data from the CDC's National Center for Health shows that life expectancy in every state in the U.S. dropped by three years in 2020.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. life expectancy dropped by 1.8 years, the biggest drop since World War II. Overall, life expectancy at birth was 77.0 years. 

Photo: Pedro Szekely on flickr