• Posted February 26, 2025

A Suicide Death Occurs Every 43 Seconds Worldwide

A person dies by suicide once every 43 seconds, and it’s more than likely a man, according to a new global assessment of suicide risk.

Men die from suicide at twice the rate of women, and their attempts result in death three times more often, researchers reported in a study published recently in The Lancet Public Health.

On the other hand, non-fatal suicide attempts that require medical care are three times greater in women than men.

“Men tend to choose more violent and lethal methods of suicide such as guns, while women are more likely to choose less fatal means such as poisoning and overdosing, which have a higher survival rate,” researcher Emily Rosenblad said in a news release. She's a project officer at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine in Seattle.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from a study that assesses the global burden of diseases and injuries.

About 746,000 deaths from suicide occur worldwide every year, researchers found. 

There’s actually been a decline in the worldwide suicide death rate over the past three decades, falling nearly 40% from about 15 deaths per 100,000 in 1990 to 9 deaths per 100,000 in 2021, researchers found.

The suicide rate declined by more than 50% among women during that period and 34% for men.

The largest decline, 66%, occurred in East Asia, driven mainly by a drop in suicide in China, researchers found.

But while suicide prevention appears to be working on a global scale, rates are still increasing in certain parts of the world:

• 39% in Central Latin America, with a 123% increase among Mexican females alone.

• 13% in Andean Latin America, with Ecuador leading the rise.

• 9% in Tropical Latin America, with the highest rates in Paraguay.

• 7% in high-income North America, including a 23% increase among U.S. women.

“While the progress made in declining suicide rates is encouraging, it is clear that suicide continues to impact some countries and populations more than others,” senior researcher Dr. Mohsen Naghavi, a professor with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a news release. 

Regionally, the highest suicide death rates were found in Eastern Europe, Southern sub-Saharan Africa and Central sub-Saharan Africa, researchers said.

The study also found grim differences between men and women:

• Men are more than twice as likely to die from suicide, but women are 49% more likely to attempt it.

• Globally, men are more than three times to commit suicide using a gun than women, 10% versus 3%.

• In the U.S., 55% of suicides among men involved a gun, versus 31% of suicides by women.

• Every minute there are four men and six women around the world who require hospital care following a suicide attempt.

Overall, people are dying by suicide later in life these days, researchers found.

In 1990, the average age of suicide death was 43 for men and 42 for women. By 2021, that had climbed to about 47 for both sexes.

The oldest average age of suicide was found in East Asia – 58 for men and 60 for women. The youngest average age of suicide was in Oceania, at 36 for men and 34 for women.

“Removing suicide stigma and barriers to access mental health support systems remain critical measures, particularly among people with mental and substance abuse disorder,” Naghavi said.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. It is available 24 hours a day.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on risk factors for suicide.

SOURCE: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, news release, Feb. 19, 2025