Firearms account for 53.9 percent of suicide deaths in the United States. Guns remain the leading method because attempts involving them prove substantially more lethal than most alternatives. Interventions that restrict access produce a 19 percent relative risk reduction and lower the hundreds of billions in annual medical and productivity costs.
Key Takeaways
- Firearms accounted for 53.9% of suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2022, indicating sustained dominance of firearms among methods
- Guns are the leading method of suicide in the United States (CDC share provides measurable basis: 54.2% in 2021)
- WHO reports suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally
- In 2022, suicide deaths involving firearms accounted for 54% of all U.S. suicide deaths
- 19% relative risk reduction in suicide with firearm safety counseling and interventions (meta-analysis estimate)
- A systematic review found that removing or restricting access to lethal means is associated with reduced suicide attempts and deaths
- In a case-control study, access to a firearm in the home was associated with higher odds of suicide (odds ratio reported in study)
- Indirect costs accounted for $228 billion of the estimated $412 billion total economic cost of suicide in the United States (2018 estimate)
- In 2019, firearm-related injury costs in the U.S. were estimated in the billions of dollars annually (injury cost estimate)
- Lost productivity cost estimates for firearm injuries were reported at $11.6 billion annually (U.S. estimate)
Firearms drive most US suicides, but safe storage, counseling, and stronger access limits can reduce deaths.
Related reading
01 · Category
Trends And International6 stats
01
Firearms accounted for 53.9% of suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2022, indicating sustained dominance of firearms among methodshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-09.pdf
02
Guns are the leading method of suicide in the United States (CDC share provides measurable basis: 54.2% in 2021)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7244a1.htm
03
WHO reports suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globallyhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
04
WHO estimated that for every suicide death, there are many more non-fatal suicidal behaviors (global ratio reported by WHO)https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240026643
05
UNODC reports that firearms are a major method of suicide in many settings, with method distributions varying by country (UNODC method reporting)https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/statistics/crime.html
06
In a global comparative study, countries with higher firearm ownership rates have higher firearm suicide rates (effect size reported in study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30015503/
Interpretation
Trends And International Interpretation
Globally, suicide trends show a consistent firearms-driven pattern, with U.S. data indicating 53.9% of suicide deaths in 2022 involved firearms and WHO noting suicide as the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds, suggesting that method dominance varies by country but remains a key international trend to address.
02 · Category
Incidence And Mortality1 stats
01
In 2022, suicide deaths involving firearms accounted for 54% of all U.S. suicide deathshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db487.htm
Interpretation
Incidence And Mortality Interpretation
In the Incidence And Mortality category, firearms were involved in 54% of all U.S. suicide deaths in 2022, showing that gun-related deaths make up the majority of suicide mortality.
More related reading
03 · Category
Means And Prevention9 stats
01
19% relative risk reduction in suicide with firearm safety counseling and interventions (meta-analysis estimate)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2780751
02
A systematic review found that removing or restricting access to lethal means is associated with reduced suicide attempts and deathshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165805/
03
In a case-control study, access to a firearm in the home was associated with higher odds of suicide (odds ratio reported in study)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24126199/
04
A prospective study reported that suicide attempts are substantially more lethal when firearms are used compared with many other methodshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28902447/
05
Firearm suicide prevention efforts commonly target safe storage practices (e.g., locked storage) to reduce access during criseshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMhpr2020340
06
In a randomized trial, a brief intervention for safe firearm storage increased safe-storage behaviors (reported effect size in trial)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25319040/
07
In 2020, CDC estimated that preventing suicide requires addressing access to lethal means, including firearmshttps://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/rr/rr6901a1.htm
08
A review concluded that safe storage can reduce suicide risk during periods of crisishttps://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(20)30579-3/fulltext
09
A policy analysis reported that extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) can reduce firearm-related suicide risk (reported effectiveness in analysis)https://www.jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2748810
Interpretation
Means And Prevention Interpretation
The evidence consistently shows that reducing access to firearms through safer storage and counseling can meaningfully lower suicide risk, with a meta-analysis estimating a 19% relative reduction and reviews finding restricting lethal means is linked to fewer attempts and deaths.
04 · Category
Economic Impact6 stats
01
Indirect costs accounted for $228 billion of the estimated $412 billion total economic cost of suicide in the United States (2018 estimate)https://www.jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2736349
02
In 2019, firearm-related injury costs in the U.S. were estimated in the billions of dollars annually (injury cost estimate)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2756830
03
Lost productivity cost estimates for firearm injuries were reported at $11.6 billion annually (U.S. estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5692467/
04
The RAND estimate projected that stricter firearm laws could reduce deaths and costs (value-of-statistical-life framework used in analysis)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1100-1.html
05
In a cost-effectiveness analysis, implementing suicide prevention strategies showed cost savings or favorable cost-effectiveness ratios depending on intervention intensity (published CE results)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7315466/
06
A 2023 study estimated that firearm injuries create substantial lifetime costs, including medical care and productivity losses (lifetime cost modeling)https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/firearm-injury-economic-burden
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From the Economic Impact perspective, indirect costs alone totaled $228 billion out of an estimated $412 billion total economic cost of suicide in the United States in 2018, and firearm injuries added billions more each year through medical and lost productivity, underscoring how sharply suicide and gun violence strain the economy.
report visual · Comparison
Firearms are the leading method of suicide
CDC data show firearms account for roughly half of U.S. suicide deaths, reinforcing their dominance among methods.
Guns are the leading method of suicide in the United States (CDC share provides measurable basis: 54.2% in 2021)54.2%
In 2022, suicide deaths involving firearms accounted for 54% of all U.S. suicide deaths
54%
Firearms accounted for 53.9% of suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2022, indicating sustained dominance of firearms among met
53.9%
source-verifiedcdc.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Gun Suicide Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-suicide-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Gun Suicide Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gun-suicide-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Gun Suicide Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-suicide-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)