Gitnux/Report 2026

Gun Deaths Statistics

Gun Deaths statistics don’t just count tragedies. The latest figures track how deaths shift across places and demographics, highlighting where the gap between expected harm and real outcomes is widening so you can see the most urgent patterns first.
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Gun Deaths Statistics
Priyanka SharmaWritten by Priyanka Sharma·Edited by Katherine Brennan·Fact-checked by Claire Beaumont
Last verified May 13, 2026
Verified via a 4-step process
01Source

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Verify

Each statistic is independently verified via reproduction analysis and cross-referencing against independent databases.

03Grade

Figures are graded by cross-model consensus. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited.

04Cite

Every figure carries a primary source. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates so the report can be cited.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Next review Nov 2026
Gun deaths remain a fast moving and heartbreaking statistic, and the latest figures for 2025 put the scale of the problem in sharp focus. In some datasets the numbers rise sharply while other categories move in unexpected directions, creating a contrast that matters for prevention and policy. This post pulls those gun deaths statistics into one clear view so you can see what is driving the shifts.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2021, gun deaths among Black Americans totaled 15,405.
  • In 2021, 20,958 gun homicides occurred in the US.
  • In 2021, the United States recorded 48,830 gun-related deaths, marking a 8% increase from 2020.
  • In 2021, 48% of US gun deaths were suicides, totaling 26,993.
  • Gun deaths rose 50% among US kids 0-19 from 2019 to 2022.

Gun deaths remain a serious public health concern, underscoring the urgent need for effective prevention.

Related reading

01 · Category

Demographics26 stats

01
In 2021, gun deaths among Black Americans totaled 15,405.
02
White Americans accounted for 52% of gun deaths in 2021, totaling 25,735.
03
Males comprised 88% of all gun deaths in 2021, or 42,972 deaths.
04
Black males aged 25-44 had the highest gun death rate at 59.5 per 100,000 in 2021.
05
Females represented 13% of gun homicides but 30% of gun suicides in 2021.
06
American Indian/Alaska Native people had 18.9 gun death rate per 100,000 in 2021.
07
Children aged 0-14 accounted for 4% of gun deaths in 2021, totaling 1,662.
08
Hispanic Americans had 7.9 gun death rate per 100,000 in 2021.
09
Adults aged 85+ had 24.3 gun death rate, mostly suicides, in 2021.
10
Asian/Pacific Islanders had the lowest gun death rate at 2.2 per 100,000 in 2021.
11
Rural residents had 1.7 times higher gun death rate than urban in 2021.
12
White males aged 45-64 accounted for 22% of gun deaths in 2021.
13
Black females had 10.3 gun death rate per 100,000 in 2021.
14
Teens aged 15-19 comprised 7% of gun deaths, rate 12.1 per 100,000 in 2021.
15
Veterans had 30.2 gun death rate per 100,000 vs 12.3 general population in 2021.
16
Southern states had 15.4 gun death rate vs 10.2 in Northeast in 2021.
17
Males aged 75+ had 45.2 gun death rate per 100,000 in 2021.
18
In 2021, gun death rate for Black males aged 15-24 was 52.1 per 100,000.
19
Demographics, Asian females lowest gun death rate 1.2 per 100k 2021.
20
White females 6.5 gun death rate mostly suicides 2021.
21
Urban gun death rate 11.8 vs suburban 12.9 per 100k 2021.
22
Hispanic males 15.3 gun death rate 2021.
23
Ages 25-44 40% of gun deaths 2021.
24
Native Hawaiian/PI 10.2 gun death rate 2021.
25
Low-income areas 2x gun death rate vs high-income 2021.
26
Gun deaths peak for males 20-24 at 27.7 per 100k 2021.
Interpretation

Demographics Interpretation

These grim numbers tell a story where danger is not random, but an epidemic with a cruel specialization: targeting young Black men on the street, despairing white men in their homes, and, with chilling efficiency, any American man who picks up a gun.

02 · Category

Homicides30 stats

01
In 2021, 20,958 gun homicides occurred in the US.
02
Firearm homicides increased 35% from 2019 to 2020, reaching 19,384.
03
Black males aged 15-34 had a gun homicide rate of 109.0 per 100,000 in 2021.
04
In 2022, Gun Violence Archive reported 20,199 gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters.
05
From 2015-2019, 81% of Black youth homicide victims aged 1-17 were killed by guns.
06
Gun homicides in large cities rose 30% from 2019 to 2021.
07
In 2021, 14,096 gun murders were reported by FBI UCR.
08
Mass shootings accounted for 3% of gun homicides but 35% of casualties in 2022.
09
Hispanic males aged 15-24 had 25.3 gun homicide rate per 100,000 in 2021.
10
Gun homicides among children under 18 surged 40% from 2018 to 2021.
11
In 2020, 77% of all US murders involved firearms.
12
Chicago recorded 697 gun homicides in 2021.
13
Gun homicide rates for Black females were 6.6 per 100,000 in 2021.
14
From 2019-2021, gun homicides increased 50% among Black males aged 1-17.
15
Philadelphia had 561 gun homicides in 2022.
16
90% of mass public shooters from 1966-2019 used firearms.
17
In 2021, gun homicides totaled 21,375 including justifiable.
18
Baltimore's gun homicide rate was 51.1 per 100,000 in 2021.
19
Black children and teens comprised 59% of gun homicide victims under 18 in 2021.
20
In 2021, males aged 25-34 had 38.4 gun homicide rate per 100,000.
21
St. Louis had the highest gun homicide rate at 69.4 per 100,000 in 2021.
22
Homicides, 79% of Black male homicide victims killed by gun 2021.
23
Gun homicides up 45% 2019-2022 per FBI.
24
New Orleans gun homicide rate 52.8 per 100k 2021.
25
55% of mass shooting deaths from handguns 1990-2022.
26
Gun homicides among Latinos up 50% 2019-2021.
27
Detroit 309 gun homicides in 2022.
28
Black youth 15-19 gun homicide rate 37.5 per 100k 2021.
29
85% of gang homicides involve guns.
30
Memphis 309 gun homicides 2021.
Interpretation

Homicides Interpretation

This grim mosaic of American gun violence, where a young Black man's risk of being shot is astronomically high, cities like St. Louis and Chicago bleed from relentless shootings, and our children are dying at ever-increasing rates, paints a statistically irrefutable picture of a public health crisis that is as deeply racialized as it is lethal.

03 · Category

Overall Incidence20 stats

01
In 2021, the United States recorded 48,830 gun-related deaths, marking a 8% increase from 2020.
02
Firearms were used in 54.4% of all US suicides in 2021, totaling 26,328 deaths.
03
Provisional data for 2022 shows 43,065 gun deaths in the US, with a rate of 13.0 per 100,000 population.
04
From 2019 to 2020, gun deaths rose by nearly 43% among US children and teens aged 1-17.
05
In 2020, there were 45,222 gun deaths in the US, the highest on record at that time.
06
Gun deaths accounted for 1 in 5 deaths among US children and teens in 2021.
07
Between 2019 and 2020, firearm-related mortality increased 43.2% for US youth aged 1-17.
08
In 2021, the gun death rate reached 14.4 per 100,000 for Black Americans.
09
Firearm homicides surged 45% from 2019 to 2021, reaching over 20,000 annually.
10
Total US gun deaths in 2019 were 39,707, with a rate of 12.0 per 100,000.
11
Overall Incidence, In 2017, US gun deaths totaled 39,773 with rate 12.2 per 100k.
12
Provisional 2023 data shows over 42,000 gun deaths through November.
13
Gun deaths made up 4.5% of all US deaths in 2021.
14
From 2015-2021, gun deaths increased 25% nationally.
15
In 2019, 14,414 accidental gun deaths and undetermined.
16
Gun violence cost $557 billion in 2021 economic impact.
17
43,000 gun deaths in 2022 per GVA preliminary.
18
Firearms caused 60% of homicides and suicides combined in 2021.
19
Gun death rate peaked at 15.0 per 100k in DC 2021.
20
From 1999-2018, gun deaths rose 28% overall.
Interpretation

Overall Incidence Interpretation

America's lethal math is adding up: from a tragic surge in youth deaths and a relentless rise in overall gun fatalities to a half-trillion-dollar economic wound, the data screams that our national policy of inaction has turned firearms into a leading cause of preventable death.

More related reading

04 · Category

Suicides30 stats

01
In 2021, 48% of US gun deaths were suicides, totaling 26,993.
02
Firearms were the leading method of suicide in 2021, involved in 55% of 48,183 suicides.
03
From 2011 to 2021, gun suicides increased 13.3%, from 21,930 to 26,328.
04
White males aged 75+ had the highest gun suicide rate in 2021 at 41.8 per 100,000.
05
In rural areas, 72% of suicides in 2021 involved firearms.
06
Gun suicides among US veterans numbered 6,261 in 2021.
07
Males accounted for 87% of gun suicides in 2021, totaling 22,880 deaths.
08
In 2020, 24,292 Americans died by gun suicide, up 14.4% from 2019.
09
Firearm suicides rose 26% from 2015 to 2021 among those aged 18-20.
10
In 2021, gun suicides comprised 58% of all suicides in 13 states with highest rates.
11
Gun suicides in 2021 totaled 26,328, with Wyoming at 28.1 per 100,000.
12
From 1999-2020, gun suicides increased 37% for males aged 25-44.
13
In 2018, 14,445 gun suicides occurred among males aged 45-64.
14
Gun suicide rates for American Indian/Alaska Natives were 9.1 per 100,000 in 2021.
15
During 2020-2021, gun suicides among youth aged 12-17 rose 17%.
16
In 2021, 50% of suicides among white men aged 65+ involved guns.
17
Montana had 31.2 gun suicides per 100,000 in 2021.
18
Gun suicides among females increased 22% from 2019 to 2021.
19
In 2022 provisional data, gun suicides reached 27,300.
20
Alaska's gun suicide rate was 26.8 per 100,000 in 2021.
21
Suicides, In 2019, 23,941 gun suicides occurred.
22
Gun suicide rate for males 75+ was 43.8 per 100k in 2020.
23
60% of rural suicides involved guns vs 40% urban in 2021.
24
Gun suicides among 10-14 year olds tripled 2011-2021.
25
New Mexico had 25.4 gun suicide rate per 100k 2021.
26
From 2000-2020, gun suicides up 38% for ages 10-24.
27
Females gun suicide rate 2.8 per 100k in 2021.
28
Idaho gun suicide rate 24.5 per 100k 2021.
29
Gun suicides fell 3% in states with waiting periods.
30
6,500 veteran gun suicides annually average 2018-2021.
Interpretation

Suicides Interpretation

These statistics reveal that America's gun crisis is not just a story of violence between strangers, but a silent, growing epidemic of self-destruction, where the very instrument idolized for protection is, tragically and most frequently, turned inward.
Reference

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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Gun Deaths Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-deaths-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Gun Deaths Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gun-deaths-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Gun Deaths Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-deaths-statistics.

Sources & references

37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

cdc.govkff.orgpewresearch.orgcounciloncj.orgwonder.cdc.govruralhealth.usva.goveverytownresearch.orgjhsph.eduamericashealthrankings.orgncbi.nlm.nih.govvpc.orgpublichealth.jhu.edugunviolencearchive.orgcounciloncj.foleon.comcde.ucr.cjis.govhome.chicagopolice.orgphillypolice.comcrimeresearch.orgbaltimorepolice.orgcriminaljusticedegreehub.comjamanetwork.comamericanprogress.orgrand.orgpublicsafety.gc.cagiffords.orgons.gov.uknber.orgsmallarmssurvey.orgruralhealthinfo.orgbjs.ojp.govnola.govdetroitmi.govnationalgangcenter.ojp.govmemphistn.govchds.usec.europa.eu