Notes from the Field: Differences in Suicide Rates, by Race and Ethnicity and Age Group ¡ª United States, 2018¨C2023

Weekly / September 18, 2025 / 74(35);550¨C553

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Deborah M. Stone, ScD1; Alison L. Cammack, PhD1; Eric G. Carbone, PhD1 (View author affiliations)

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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.

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Investigation and Outcomes

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 s. 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 <10 years were excluded from age-specific analyses; all suicide deaths were included in the total. Differences in suicide rates from 2018 to 2023 as well as from 2021 to 2023 were compared using z-tests when the number of suicide deaths was at least 100; p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. When the number of suicide deaths was less than 100, differences were considered significant if CIs based on a gamma distribution did not overlap. This activity was reviewed by CDC, deemed not research, and conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.*

Overall Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates, by Race and Ethnicity

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) (Table) (). During 2018–2023, although overall U.S. age-adjusted suicide rates did not change, age-adjusted rates did change by race and ethnicity, increasing significantly among non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) (25.2%) and Hispanic persons (10.0%) and declining significantly among White persons (3.1%). Rate differences among NH/PI persons were not significant because of small numbers. From 2021 to 2023, overall rates among AI/AN persons declined significantly (15.3%).

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%).

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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).

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

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

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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.

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* 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 () or by texting or calling 988.

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References

      1. US Department of Health and Human Services. National strategy for suicide prevention. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; April 2024.
      2. CDC. Suicide data and statistics. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. Accessed Aug 21, 2025. /suicide/facts/data.html
      3. 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.
      4. 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.
      5. CDC. Suicide prevention resource for action: a compilation of the best available evidence. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2022. /suicide/resources/prevention.html

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TABLE. Suicide rates,* rate changes, and annual number of suicide deaths, by race and ethnicity and age group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2018–2023Return to your place in the text
Year, race and ethnicity† Total no. of suicides Age-adjusted rate§ Age group, yrs
10–24 25–44 45–64 ≥65
No. of suicides Rate No. of suicides Rate No. of suicides Rate No. of suicides Rate
Total
2018 48,344 14.2 6,807 10.7 15,541 17.9 16,885 20.1 9,102 17.4
2019 47,511 13.9 6,488 10.2 15,584 17.8 16,250 19.5 9,173 17.0
2020 45,979 13.5 6,643 10.5 15,768 17.9 14,409 17.4 9,137 16.4
2021 48,183 14.1 7,126 11.0 16,724 18.8 14,668 17.6 9,652 17.3
2022 49,476 14.2 6,533 10.0 16,848 18.9 15,645 19.0 10,438 18.1
2023 49,316 14.1 6,417 9.9 16,986 18.9 15,469 18.8 10,437 17.6
2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA 0.3 NA −10.2†† NA 0.4 NA 6.9†† NA 1.9
2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA –0.8 NA −7.0†† NA 5.7†† NA −6.7†† NA 1.5
Race and ethnicity
  American Indian or Alaska Native
     2018 545 22.3 168 31.1 264 39.5 93 15.8 19 —§§
     2019 546 22.5 160 29.9 266 39.3 96 16.4 24 8.0
     2020 588 23.9 176 33.0 285 41.6 103 17.7 23 7.2
     2021 692 28.1 196 36.3 365 52.8 96 16.4 35 10.7
     2022 650 27.1 166 31.1 343 50.2 111 19.5 29 8.4
     2023 577 23.8 133 25.3 312 45.1 105 18.5 27 7.4
     2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA –15.3†† NA –30.3†† NA –14.5†† NA 12.4 NA –30.5
     2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA 6.9 NA –18.6 NA 14.1 NA 16.8 NA NA
  Asian
      2018 1,315 6.7 292 8.5 451 7.2 383 8.2 189 8.0
      2019 1,342 6.7 263 7.7 489 7.8 386 8.2 203 8.1
      2020 1,302 6.4 253 7.4 466 7.4 365 7.6 218 8.3
      2021 1,379 6.8 324 9.4 503 7.9 341 6.9 209 7.8
      2022 1,459 6.9 286 8.0 543 8.3 400 7.9 230 8.1
      2023 1,407 6.5 297 8.2 518 7.8 369 7.1 223 7.5
      2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA –3.9 NA −12.4 NA –1.4 NA 3.1 NA −3.8
      2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA −3.0 NA −3.0 NA 8.0 NA −14.1†† NA −6.5
  Black or African American
      2018 3,022 7.3 733 8.2 1,372 11.8 706 7.0 208 4.4
      2019 3,115 7.5 749 8.5 1,428 12.1 717 7.1 217 4.4
      2020 3,286 7.8 871 9.9 1,523 12.7 659 6.6 223 4.3
      2021 3,692 8.7 1,001 11.2 1,758 14.5 693 6.8 234 4.4
      2022 3,826 8.9 959 10.7 1,803 14.8 775 7.7 284 5.2
      2023 3,911 9.1 945 10.7 1,873 15.2 827 8.2 264 4.7
      2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA 4.1 NA −5.1 NA 4.9 NA 20.3†† NA 4.9
      2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA 25.2†† NA 29.4†† NA 29.2†† NA 17.4†† NA 6.7
  Hispanic or Latino
      2018 4,313 7.4 1,105 7.3 1,856 10.3 1,023 8.6 329 7.4
      2019 4,331 7.3 1,146 7.5 1,864 10.3 1,042 8.5 274 5.9
      2020 4,571 7.5 1,209 7.9 2,077 11.3 944 7.5 335 6.9
      2021 4,907 7.9 1,250 7.9 2,291 12.3 1,015 7.8 350 6.9
      2022 5,122 8.1 1,251 7.7 2,366 12.6 1,150 8.6 353 6.7
      2023 5,281 8.2 1,258 7.7 2,477 12.9 1,150 8.3 394 7.1
      2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA 3.4 NA −2.4 NA 4.6 NA 7.1 NA 1.8
      2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA 10.0†† NA 5.0 NA 25.2†† NA −3.1 NA −5.2
  Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
      2018 73 11.9 19 — 41 21.7 11 — <10 —
      2019 90 14.4 21 16.6 50 25.9 16 — <10 —
      2020 79 12.5 24 18.9 37 18.9 17 — <10 —
      2021 82 12.6 21 16.2 45 22.7 14 — <10 —
      2022 95 14.3 28 21.1 51 25.6 12 — <10 —
      2023 116 17.3 25 18.6 63 31.2 24 16.2 <10 —
      2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA 37.4 NA 14.9 NA 37.4 NA NA NA NA
      2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA 46.0 NA NA NA 43.8 NA NA NA NA
  White
      2018 38,415 18.1 4,305 12.9 11,315 23.3 14,489 26.1 8,302 20.7
      2019 37,428 17.7 3,976 12.0 11,228 23.0 13,818 25.3 8,401 20.4
      2020 35,442 16.9 3,912 12.0 11,076 22.7 12,161 22.6 8,289 19.7
      2021 36,681 17.4 4,117 12.4 11,429 23.3 12,371 23.1 8,760 20.9
      2022 37,481 17.6 3,647 11.0 11,383 23.3 12,975 24.8 9,473 21.9
      2023 37,217 17.6 3,568 10.9 11,404 23.3 12,805 24.9 9,439 21.4
      2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA 0.7 NA −11.9†† NA 0.2 NA 7.7†† NA 2.7
      2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA −3.1†† NA −14.8†† NA 0.1 NA −4.6†† NA 3.6††
  Multiracial
      2018 514 9.0 162 7.2 215 13.1 107 11.4 29 7.2
      2019 527 8.8 166 7.2 231 13.5 110 11.6 20 4.7
      2020 599 9.6 189 8.0 275 15.4 109 11.3 26 5.7
      2021 631 9.7 203 8.2 294 15.8 99 10.0 35 7.4
      2022 682 10.5 190 7.4 317 16.4 151 14.9 24 4.7
      2023 628 9.2 183 7.0 284 14.1 123 12.0 37 6.9
      2023 vs. 2021 relative rate change, %** NA −5.7 NA −14.2 NA −10.7 NA 19.9 NA −6.7
      2023 vs. 2018 relative rate change, %** NA 2.3 NA −2.8 NA 7.8 NA 4.8 NA −4.1

Abbreviation: NA = not applicable.
* 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 <10 years.
** Relative rate change was calculated using the following equations: [(2023 rate – 2018 rate) / 2018 rate] x 100 and [(2023 rate – 2021 rate) / 2021 rate] x 100. Rates were rounded to four decimal places for all calculations and rounded to one decimal place in the table. Data were accessed on CDC WONDER on June 3, 2025.
†† Statistically significant at p<0.05 for 2018–2023 and 2021–2023 rate difference based on z-test for at least 100 deaths. If either rate was based on less than 100 deaths, differences in rates were considered significant if CIs based on a gamma distribution did not overlap.
§§ Dashes indicate rates are considered unreliable or are suppressed when the rate is calculated with a numerator of <20 or the data meet the criteria for confidentiality constraints (less than 10 deaths).


The image shows a line graph representing suicide rates among different racial and ethnic groups including American Indian or Alaska Native, White, Black, and Hispanic/Latino people. Text reads, “Suicide rates increased among Black and Hispanic people and were highest among American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) people between 2018 and 2023.”
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Suggested citation for this article: Stone DM, Cammack AL, Carbone EG. Notes from the Field: Differences in Suicide Rates, by Race and Ethnicity and Age Group — United States, 2018–2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2025;74:550–553. DOI: .

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