Suicide by the numbers

• Nearly 800,000 people die by suicide each year worldwide.

​

• In 2019, over 47,500 Americans died by suicide.

​

• In 2019, 12 million American adults reported serious thoughts about suicide with an estimated 1.4 million attempting suicide in the United States alone.

​

• In the United States, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and ranks second among people ages 10-34.​

​

• Each day approximately 21 United States military veterans and active-duty personnel take their own lives. In 2019, 6,261 veterans and 519 active-duty personnel died by suicide.​

​

• Experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Suicide rates are also high among vulnerable groups who experience discrimination such as refugees and migrants, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and prisoners.

​

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of loss survivors – the close family and friends left behind after a suicide – from each death is anywhere from six to 32. However, recent studies have found that number to be closer to 135 per death. That’s as many as 6.5 million people unwillingly becoming part of the loss survivor community each year.

​

• In 2020, nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population is estimated to identify as Hispanic/Latinx. Of those, approximately 16 percent reported having a mental illness in the past year. That’s over 10 million people across the country.

​

• Studies indicate that over the past decade thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts and deaths are rising among Hispanic/Latinx young adults with an exponential increase in experience with depression among those aged 12-17 between 2008 and 2018.

​

• While the Hispanic/Latinx population in the U.S. shows similar vulnerabilities to mental illness as the general population, institutional and systemic barriers further impede access to mental health services, and to the quality of available treatment. While there is a multitude of factors causing these inequities, the primary drivers are the language barrier and reduced rates of health insurance. 

​

​

*Data sourced from the World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.