Firearm suicide rates
In 2021, there were 10 firearm suicides per 100,000 in the South, compared to 7 in the rest of the U.S.
Firearm suicide rates by state, 2021
Age-adjusted rates per 100,000 pop
Source: CDC/ Wonder mortality data. Note: 2021 data is provisional.
Suicides make up the majority of gun deaths each year (and the majority of suicides in the U.S. involve a gun.1) but receive little news coverage. Firearm suicides accounted for 26,322 deaths in 2021 compared to 20,966 firearm homicides and 1,544 other firearm deaths. The number of firearm suicides increased from 23,941 in 2019 to 24,292 in 2020, and then to 26,322 based on 2021 provisional data.
An international comparison in 2019 found that the U.S. gun suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 was almost 3 times higher than any other wealthy nation. At 2.0, Finland had a firearm suicide rate that was a distant second to the U.S. among wealthy nations.2 Even in Massachussets which has the lowest gun suicide rate of any state at 1.8 in 2021, gun suicides are higher than almost all wealthy countries. Firearm suicide rates are highest in rural Western states followed by Southern states.
“Do States with Easier Access to Guns have More Suicide Deaths by Firearm?” Saunders. Kaiser Family Foundation. July, 2022. https://www.kff.org/other/issue-brief/do-states-with-easier-access-to-guns-have-more-suicide-deaths-by-firearm/
“GBD Results”. Vizhub. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
