Male Suicide in the United States
Graph of the Week
This week’s graphs, courtesy of a recent report by the National Center for Health Statistics, illustrate suicide rates in the United States (U.S.) from 2002 to 2022.
Key Points
• Suicide rates among males have been increasing over the past 20 years and are 3-4 times higher than among females (Figure 1). In 2022, 39,273 males in the U.S. ended their own lives (see related report).
• Rates and absolute numbers of suicide are highest among males who are over the age 25, including males over 75 years old (Figure 3).
• Firearms are the most common method of suicide among males, followed by suffocation and poisoning (Figure 5).
• Among females, suicide rates are highest between the ages of 25-64. Historically, poisoning has been the most common means of suicide among females, but in recent years, firearms, suffocation, and poisoning have been used at similar frequencies as poisoning (see the report for the relevant graphs on female suicide).
Source: Garnett MF, Curtin SC. Suicide mortality in the United States, 2002–2022. NCHS Data Brief, no 509. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024.
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