According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, in 2017:
Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,000 people.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54.
There were more than twice as many suicides (47,173) in the United States as there were homicides (19,510).
Table 1 shows the ten leading causes of death in the United States, and the number of deaths attributed to each cause. Data are shown for all ages and select age groups where suicide was one of the leading ten causes of death in 2017. The data are based on death certificate information compiled by the CDC.
Suicide rate is based on the number of people who have died by suicide per 100,000 population. Because changes in population size are taken into account, rates allow for comparisons from one year to the next.
Figure 1 shows the age-adjusted suicide rates in the United States for each year from 2001 through 2017 for the total population, and for males and females presented separately.During that 16-year period, the total suicide rate increased 31% from 10.7 to 14.0 per 100,000.
The suicide rate among males remained nearly four times higher (22.4 per 100,000 in 2017) than among females (6.1 per 100,000 in 2017). Demographics
Because suicide rates take population size into account, they can be a useful tool for understanding the relative proportion of people affected within different demographic groups.
Figure 2 shows the crude rates of suicide within sex and age categories in 2017.Among females, the suicide rate was highest for those aged 45-54 (10.0 per 100,000).
Among males, the suicide rate was highest for those aged 65 and older (31.0 per 100,000).
Figure 2
Female AgeMale AgeSuicide Rates (per 100,000)Suicide Rates by Age (per 100,000)Data Courtesy of CDC
Demographics
Because suicide rates take population size into account, they can be a useful tool for understanding the relative proportion of people affected within different demographic groups.
Figure 2 shows the crude rates of suicide within sex and age categories in 2017.Among females, the suicide rate was highest for those aged 45-54 (10.0 per 100,000).
Among males, the suicide rate was highest for those aged 65 and older (31.0 per 100,000).
Figure 2
Female AgeMale AgeSuicide Rates (per 100,000)Suicide Rates by Age (per 100,000)Data Courtesy of CDC1.01.05.05.07.07.08.08.010.010.08.08.05.05.03.03.022.022.027.027.027.027.030.030.029.029.031.031.0FemaleMale10–1415–2425–3435–4445–5455–6465+10–1415–2425–3435–4445–5455–6465+504030201001020304050
Suicide Rates by Age (per 100,000)
Figure 3 shows the rates of suicide for race/ethnicity groups in 2017. The rates of suicide were highest for American Indian/Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic males (33.6 per 100,000) and females (11.0 per 100,000), followed by White, Non-Hispanic males (28.2 per 100,000) and females (7.9 per 100,000).
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