In the United States, boys aged 10 to 14 had a suicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 in 2021. That rate is 3.7 times higher than the 0.9 per 100,000 for girls in the same age group. Across regions and groups, disparities persist, with rural counties and marginalized youth facing higher risk.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, male children aged 10-14 had a suicide rate 3.7 times higher than females in 2021 at 3.2 vs 0.9 per 100,000
- Among U.S. girls aged 10-14, suicide rates tripled from 0.7 to 2.1 per 100,000 between 2007-2017
- Black youth suicide rates in the U.S. increased 73% for ages 10-19 from 2011-2021
- U.S. Northeast has highest child suicide rates at 4.1 per 100,000 vs South 2.8
- Rural U.S. counties child suicide rates 2x urban (5 vs 2.5 per 100,000)
- Alaska Native children highest U.S. regional rate 25 per 100,000 ages 10-19
- Globally, in 2019, an estimated 49,000 children and adolescents aged 10-19 died by suicide, accounting for 13% of all deaths in this age group
- In the United States, the suicide rate for children aged 10-14 increased by 60% from 2007 to 2017, reaching 2.3 per 100,000
- Among U.S. children aged 5-11, there were 877 suicide deaths from 2013 to 2020, averaging about 110 per year
- 67% of U.S. child suicides involve firearms, highest risk factor
- Bullying victimization doubles suicide risk in children, per meta-analysis
- 90% of child suicides have underlying mental illness, mostly depression
- U.S. suicide rates for ages 10-24 increased 57% from 2007 to 2018
- From 1999-2019, U.S. child suicide rates (10-14) rose 39%
- Global youth suicide rates declined 36% from 2000-2019, but child rates stable
In 2021, U.S. boys ages 10 to 14 died by suicide far more than girls, and risks vary widely.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic Statistics24 stats
01
In the United States, male children aged 10-14 had a suicide rate 3.7 times higher than females in 2021 at 3.2 vs 0.9 per 100,000
02
Among U.S. girls aged 10-14, suicide rates tripled from 0.7 to 2.1 per 100,000 between 2007-2017
03
Black youth suicide rates in the U.S. increased 73% for ages 10-19 from 2011-2021
04
Hispanic children in U.S. had suicide death rates rise 48% from 2011-2021 for ages 10-19
05
LGBTQ+ youth are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide than straight peers, with 45% reporting attempts
06
In Australia, Indigenous children aged 10-17 had suicide rates 5.8 times higher than non-Indigenous in 2020
07
U.S. Asian/Pacific Islander youth suicide rates up 48% from 2011-2021 for 10-19
08
Boys aged 10-14 in U.S. saw 29% increase in suicide rates 2011-2021
09
Girls aged 15-19 in U.S. had suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 in 2021
10
Native American children in U.S. have highest youth suicide rate at 9.8 per 100,000 for 10-19
11
In Canada, Inuit youth suicide rates are 10-20 times national average
12
U.S. rural children have 70% higher suicide rates than urban peers aged 10-24
13
Transgender youth attempt suicide at 41% rate vs 5% cisgender
14
In UK, male under-20 suicides outnumber females 4:1 from 2018-2020
15
Low-income U.S. children have 2x suicide risk compared to high-income peers
16
Single-parent household U.S. kids 2.5x more likely to die by suicide
17
Immigrant children in U.S. have lower suicide rates than U.S.-born, 1.5 vs 3.2 per 100,000
18
In Sweden, foreign-born children had 2x suicide risk vs Swedish-born 1990-2010
19
U.S. children with disabilities 3.5x more likely to attempt suicide
20
Bisexual youth report 50% suicide attempt rate per Trevor Project
21
In Brazil, male adolescents 15-19 suicide rate 6.8 vs 2.1 females per 100,000
22
U.S. suicide rates for Black girls 10-14 rose 182% from 2003-2017
23
Children in foster care U.S. 4x more likely to die by suicide
24
Globally, male child suicides outnumber female 2:1 across 10-19 age group
Interpretation
Demographic Statistics Interpretation
These statistics reveal not a singular crisis but a devastating, multi-layered epidemic where the most vulnerable children—boys, marginalized racial groups, LGBTQ+ youth, those in poverty, and those disconnected from community—are silently screaming out for help through these tragically rising numbers.
02 · Category
Geographic Variations24 stats
01
U.S. Northeast has highest child suicide rates at 4.1 per 100,000 vs South 2.8
02
Rural U.S. counties child suicide rates 2x urban (5 vs 2.5 per 100,000)
03
Alaska Native children highest U.S. regional rate 25 per 100,000 ages 10-19
04
Wyoming U.S. state highest youth rate 22.3 per 100,000 10-24
05
Greenland Inuit children have world's highest rate ~100 per 100,000
06
Lesotho Africa highest global child rate 15.2 per 100,000 10-14
07
Guyana South America 12.5 per 100,000 youth rate
08
Kazakhstan highest Europe/Asia at 13.8 per 100,000 adolescents
09
Montana U.S. rural rate 8.2 per 100,000 children
10
Vanuatu Pacific islands 11.9 per 100,000 youth
11
Eswatini Africa 10.6 per 100,000 15-19
12
U.S. West region lowest child rates 2.9 per 100,000
13
Zimbabwe urban vs rural 2x difference in youth rates
14
South Australia state highest national child rate 2.1 per 100,000
15
Belgium lowest EU rate 1.2 per 100,000 10-19
16
U.S. Midwest child suicides 15% above national average
17
Micronesia islands extreme rate 30+ per 100,000 youth
18
Louisiana U.S. South low rate but high attempts
19
Norway Nordic low 2.4 per 100,000 adolescents
20
India Kerala state lowest child suicide rate 1.5 per 100,000 vs national 3.2
21
U.S. Southwest Hispanic areas elevated rates 4.5 per 100,000
22
Lithuania Eastern Europe high 9.1 per 100,000 youth
23
Queensland Australia rural high 3.2 per 100,000 children
24
U.S. Appalachia region 2.5x national child suicide average
Interpretation
Geographic Variations Interpretation
This grim atlas of suffering reveals that the landscape of despair for children is cruelly uneven, with their lives ending not by random chance but by a predictable geography of isolation, cultural disruption, and profound lack of resources.
03 · Category
Incidence Rates20 stats
01
Globally, in 2019, an estimated 49,000 children and adolescents aged 10-19 died by suicide, accounting for 13% of all deaths in this age group
02
In the United States, the suicide rate for children aged 10-14 increased by 60% from 2007 to 2017, reaching 2.3 per 100,000
03
Among U.S. children aged 5-11, there were 877 suicide deaths from 2013 to 2020, averaging about 110 per year
04
In 2021, suicide was the second leading cause of death for U.S. youth aged 10-24, responsible for 17.6% of deaths
05
Australia's child suicide rate for ages 10-14 was 1.4 per 100,000 in 2020
06
In England and Wales, suicides among under-20s averaged 3.2 per 100,000 from 2017-2021
07
Canada's youth suicide rate (15-24) was 10.2 per 100,000 in 2019
08
In India, over 8,000 children under 18 died by suicide in 2021, per NCRB data
09
Brazil reported 1,200 suicides among 10-19 year olds in 2019, rate of 4.5 per 100,000
10
South Korea's child suicide rate (10-19) was 7.2 per 100,000 in 2020, highest in OECD
11
In Japan, suicides among junior high students rose 140% from 2019 to 2022, totaling 513 cases
12
New Zealand's Maori children aged 10-19 had a suicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 in 2019
13
South Africa's youth suicide rate (15-19) estimated at 9.6 per 100,000 in 2019
14
In the EU, average child suicide rate (10-19) was 3.1 per 100,000 in 2019
15
Russia's adolescent suicide rate was 12.4 per 100,000 for ages 15-19 in 2020
16
Mexico's child suicide deaths (5-14) totaled 450 in 2020, rate 1.8 per 100,000
17
In Sweden, suicides among children under 15 were 0.4 per 100,000 from 2015-2020
18
Nigeria estimated 2,500 child suicides annually (under 20)
19
In 2022, U.S. children 8-12 had 549 suicides, up 8.4% from prior year
20
Globally, 10-19 year olds account for 9% of all suicides, totaling 148,000 deaths yearly
Interpretation
Incidence Rates Interpretation
The cruel math of these statistics makes it tragically clear that, in the relentless pursuit of adulthood, far too many of our children are choosing an early and devastating exit.
More related reading
04 · Category
Risk Factors23 stats
01
67% of U.S. child suicides involve firearms, highest risk factor
02
Bullying victimization doubles suicide risk in children, per meta-analysis
03
90% of child suicides have underlying mental illness, mostly depression
04
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase suicide risk 3-5 fold
05
Social media use over 3 hours daily triples depression risk leading to suicide
06
Parental mental illness raises child suicide risk 2.5 times
07
LGBTQ+ youth face 4x higher risk due to discrimination
08
Access to lethal means like guns increases risk 3x in impulsive cases
09
History of non-suicidal self-injury predicts 10x suicide risk
10
Physical abuse triples suicide attempt risk in children
11
Sleep deprivation doubles suicide ideation in adolescents
12
Substance abuse co-occurs in 20% of youth suicides
13
Family conflict increases risk 2.8 times per studies
14
Cyberbullying raises risk 2x over traditional bullying
15
Chronic illness in children linked to 2-4x suicide risk
16
Poverty increases suicide risk 1.5-2x via stressors
17
Isolation during pandemic raised risk 25% in youth
18
Academic pressure causes 30% of Asian youth suicides
19
Sexual abuse survivors 3x more likely to attempt suicide
20
Untreated ADHD increases suicide risk 4x
21
Hopelessness scale scores predict 80% of suicides
22
25% of suicidal youth report recent romantic rejection
23
In U.S., poisoning second most common method at 13% of child suicides
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
This grim constellation of statistics shows that a child’s suicide is rarely a single tragedy, but the fatal intersection of available means, underlying pain, and a society that still fails to weave a reliable safety net against despair.
05 · Category
Temporal Trends24 stats
01
U.S. suicide rates for ages 10-24 increased 57% from 2007 to 2018
02
From 1999-2019, U.S. child suicide rates (10-14) rose 39%
03
Global youth suicide rates declined 36% from 2000-2019, but child rates stable
04
In U.S., suicides among children 10-14 doubled from 2007-2014
05
UK under-10 suicides rare but tripled from 2011-2020 to 4 per year
06
Australia child suicides (10-14) increased 56% from 2010-2020
07
U.S. female youth suicide rates up 167% from 2007-2017 ages 10-14
08
Japan elementary school suicides doubled from 10 to 20 annually 2015-2022
09
Canada Indigenous youth suicides fell 25% post-2015 interventions
10
EU adolescent suicide rates decreased 20% from 2010-2020
11
U.S. Black youth suicides up 60% 2018-2021 post-pandemic
12
South Korea child suicides peaked at 852 in 2011, down to 650 by 2020
13
India child suicides rose 4% yearly from 2016-2021, totaling 11,396 in 2021
14
New Zealand youth suicides stable at 50-60 annually 2015-2020
15
U.S. pandemic saw 14% rise in child mental health emergencies 2020-2021
16
Global child suicide rates (5-14) fell 32% from 1990-2016
17
Brazil youth suicides increased 30% from 2011-2019
18
Sweden child suicides halved from 1990-2015 to 0.3 per 100,000
19
U.S. rates for 10-14 peaked in 2017 then declined slightly to 2021
20
During COVID-19, U.S. child suicides dropped 8% in 2020 but rose 14% in 2021
21
Australia post-2010 saw 10-14 rate rise from 0.9 to 1.4 per 100,000
22
UK 10-19 suicides fell 27% from 2013-2020
23
China adolescent suicides declined 70% from 1995-2015
24
U.S. suicide attempts among high school girls doubled 2011-2019
Interpretation
Temporal Trends Interpretation
While the world slowly figured out how to lower youth suicide rates, America and several other nations perfected a tragically different trend, proving that a child's despair is often a solvable crisis we persistently choose to ignore.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Child Suicide Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-suicide-statistics
MLA
Marcus Afolabi. "Child Suicide Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/child-suicide-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Child Suicide Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-suicide-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level