Suicide and self-harm

Every 2 minutes, 3 people die due to suicide. By working together at the community level, we can prevent suicide and self-harm through awareness, intervention, and support systems.

746,000 deaths by suicide occurred globally in 2023, ranking it as the #21 cause of death – more than HIV.

519,000 suicide deaths in 2021 occurred in men, while 227,000 were in women.

47 was the average age when people died by suicide in 2021.

10% of male and 3% of female suicide deaths were by gun in 2021.

Need support and living in the US?

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, text, call, or chat 988. The 988 Lifeline offers 24/7 judgment-free support for mental health, substance use, and more. Access for Deaf/HoH and Spanish speakers.

Featured publication

Scientific Publication

Global, regional, and national burden of suicide, 1990–2021

We produced estimates of the number of deaths and age-standardised death rates of suicide globally, regionally, and for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021, and disaggregated these results by age and sex.

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world map showing the highest rates of suicide death in Russia and parts of central Europe, Greenland, parts of Africa, and parts of South America

More publications

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Scientific Publication

Global, regional, and national burden of suicide, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Scientific Publication

The global burden of suicide mortality among people on the autism spectrum

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The burden of mental disorders, substance use disorders and self-harm among young people in Europe, 1990–2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

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Estimating patterns in the under-reporting of suicide deaths in India: comparison of administrative data and Global Burden of Disease Study estimates, 2005–2015

Self-harm factsheet

Find a summary of all the GBD 2021 research on self-harm, modeled with over 4,000 data sources and providing a concise overview of deaths, prevalence, and more measures of health loss by age, sex, and location.

View the summary