Notes from the Field: Differences in Suicide Rates, by Race and Ethnicity and Age Group — United States, 2018–2023

Deborah M. Stone, ScD1; Alison L. Cammack, PhD1; Eric G. Carbone, PhD1 (

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Suicide is among the top eight leading causes of death among persons aged 10–64 years; rates differed among demographic groups during 2018–2021.

What is added by this report?

During 2018–2023, U.S. suicide rates remained stable overall but differed among demographic groups. Rates increased among non-Hispanic Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino persons and decreased among non-Hispanic White persons and persons aged 10–24 years. Rates were highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons but declined between 2021 and 2023.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Implementation of evidence-based suicide prevention strategies in populations with high or increasing suicide rates could help save lives. CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action provides a comprehensive approach to prevention, addressing the many factors associated with suicide.

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Suicide (death caused by injuring oneself with intent to die) is a serious U.S. public health problem (1) and ranks among the top eight leading causes of death among persons aged 10–64 years (Facts About Suicide CDC). From 2003 to 2023, age-adjusted suicide rates increased 31% (2), reaching 14.2 suicides per 100,000 population in 2018, the highest rate since 1941 (3). Suicide rates subsequently declined to 13.9 in 2019 and to 13.5 in 2020 but increased again in 2021 to 14.1 and remained essentially unchanged in 2022 (14.2) and 2023 (14.1) (2). This report updates a previous report that noted racial, ethnic, and age group differences in suicide rates during 2018–2021 (4) by extending the analytic period through 2023 and examines rate differences between 2021 and 2023.

Data Source and Analysis

Data from CDC’s National Vital Statistics System multiple cause-of-death mortality files for 2018–2023 were analyzed (2). Age-adjusted suicide rates and 95% CIs were calculated by the direct method and using the 2000 U.S. standard population with U.S. Census Bureau postcensal single-race estimates. Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) ethnicity includes persons of any race, and all named racial groups were considered non-Hispanic. Persons with unknown ethnicity were excluded from race and ethnicity analyses, and, owing to small numbers, children aged In 2023, the overall U.S. age-adjusted suicide rate was 14.1 per 100,000. Rates were lowest among non-Hispanic Asian (Asian) persons (6.5) and highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) (23.8), non-Hispanic White (White) (17.6), and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NH/PI) persons (17.3) (

Suicide Rates, by Age Group

Between 2018 and 2023, overall U.S. suicide rates declined significantly among persons aged 10–24 (7.0%) and 45–64 years (6.7%) and increased among those aged 25–44 years (5.7%) (Table). Significant increases occurred among Black persons aged 10–24 (29.4%), 25–44 (29.2%), and 45–64 years (17.4%); Hispanic persons aged 25–44 years (25.2); and White persons aged ≥65 years (3.6%). Rates decreased significantly among Asian persons aged 45–64 years (14.1%) and among White persons aged 10–24 (14.8%) and 45–64 years (4.6%).

During 2021–2023, among persons aged 10–24 years, significant declines in rates occurred overall (10.2%) and among White (11.9%) and AI/AN (30.3%) persons. In addition, rates declined significantly among AI/AN persons aged 25–44 years (14.5%). Among persons aged 45–64 years, significant increases in suicide rates were observed overall (6.9%) and among Black (20.3%) and White persons (7.7%).

Preliminary Conclusions and Actions

Although overall suicide rates remained stable during 2018–2023, rates and changes in rates over time differed by race and ethnicity and age group. Rates increased overall among Black and Hispanic populations and declined overall among White persons and persons aged 10–24 years. Overall suicide rate increases among Black persons are particularly concerning as they continue rate increases described in the previous report (2018 to 2021) (4). Conversely, reductions in rates among persons aged 10–24 years are noteworthy given that a previous analysis identified a 62.0% rate increase in this age group during 2007–2021 (NCHS Data Brief, Number 471, June 2023). During 2021–2023, rates declined among AI/AN persons, overall, after previous increases (4); though rates still remain highest in this group.

There is no single cause of suicide. Rates and rate changes likely reflect the interaction of individual, relationship, community, and societal factors that affect groups differently (5). The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (1) calls for a whole-of-society public health approach to prevention. CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention program and its Suicide Prevention Resource for Action (5) support populations at increased risk for suicide and prioritize strategies with the best available evidence. Together, community-based approaches, such as strengthening economic supports and increasing connectedness, and health care–based strategies can save lives† (5).

Corresponding author: Deborah M. Stone, zaf9@cdc.gov.

1Division of Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

• 45 C.F.R. part 46, 21 C.F.R. part 56; 42 U.S.C. Sect. 241(d); 5 U.S.C. Sect. 552a; 44 U.S.C. Sect. 3501 et seq.

† For persons in crisis, help is available through the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (https://www.988lifeline.org) or by texting or calling 988.

References

• US Department of Health and Human Services. National strategy for suicide prevention. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; April 2024. https://www.hhs.gov/programs/prevention-and-wellness/mental-health-substance-use-disorder/national-strategy-suicide-prevention/index.html
• CDC. Suicide data and statistics. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. Accessed Aug 21, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html
• Luo F, Florence CS, Quispe-Agnoli M, Ouyang L, Crosby AE. Impact of business cycles on US suicide rates, 1928-2007. Am J Public Health 2011;101:1139–46. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2010.300010 PMID:21493938
• Stone DM, Mack KA, Qualters J. Notes from the field: recent changes in suicide rates, by race and ethnicity and age group—United States, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:160–2. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7206a4 PMID:36757870
• CDC. Suicide prevention resource for action: a compilation of the best available evidence. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/prevention.html

• Suicide deaths per 100,000 population. Suicide deaths were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision underlying cause-of-death codes U03, X60–X84, and Y87.0.
  † Data for Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) origin should be interpreted with caution; studies comparing Hispanic origin on death certificates and on U.S. Census Bureau surveys have shown inconsistent reporting on Hispanic ethnicity. Potential racial misclassification might lead to underestimates for certain categories, primarily American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, and Pacific Islander decedents (National Center for Health Statistics, Series 2, no 172 (8/10/16)). Single-race estimates are presented and might not be comparable to earlier years produced by bridging multiple races to a single race choice. Hispanic ethnicity includes persons of any race. Racial groups exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Persons with unknown ethnicity are excluded from race and ethnicity groups but are included in the overall total.
  § Age-adjusted rates (number of suicide deaths per 100,000 population) were calculated using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau standard population. Age adjustment – Health, United States
  ¶ Includes decedents of unknown ethnicity and children aged †† Statistically significant at p§§ Dashes indicate rates are considered unreliable or are suppressed when the rate is calculated with a numerator of

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