Active Duty service members die by suicide at a rate of 25.1 per 100,000. The Marine Corps records the highest branch rate at 27.1 per 100,000. Rates differ further across age groups, ranks, and components.
Key Takeaways
- Army Active Duty had 110 suicides in 2022, rate of 24.7 per 100,000
- Navy Active Duty suicide rate was 20.5 per 100,000 in 2022 with 41 cases
- Air Force Active Duty recorded 54 suicides in 2022, rate 18.6 per 100,000
- Males aged 17-24 in Army had suicide rate of 35.2 per 100,000 in 2022
- Female Active Duty suicide rate was 11.4 per 100,000 in 2022, up 10% from prior year
- Veterans aged 18-34 had suicide rate 45.1 per 100,000, highest age group
- In 2022, the Active Duty suicide rate was 25.1 per 100,000 service members, marking the second consecutive year of increase
- From 2011 to 2021, the suicide rate among Active Duty personnel rose by 35%, from 18.5 to 25.0 per 100,000
- In 2023, the Selected Reserves had a suicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000, lower than Active Duty but higher than civilians
- The VA's REACH VET program identified 7,000 high-risk Veterans in 2022
- DoD's Suicide Prevention Office trained 1.2 million service members since 2019
- Gatekeeper training reduced suicides 15% in Army units 2020-2022
- Firearms used in 72% of male Veteran suicides in 2021
- History of TBI associated with 2.1 times higher suicide risk in military
- 54% of Active Duty suicides had prior mental health diagnosis
In 2022, Active Duty suicide rates rose overall, with the Army National Guard reaching 22.4 per 100,000.
Related reading
01 · Category
By Branch of Service28 stats
01
Army Active Duty had 110 suicides in 2022, rate of 24.7 per 100,000
02
Navy Active Duty suicide rate was 20.5 per 100,000 in 2022 with 41 cases
03
Air Force Active Duty recorded 54 suicides in 2022, rate 18.6 per 100,000
04
Marine Corps Active Duty had 47 suicides in 2022, rate 27.1 per 100,000, highest among branches
05
Army National Guard suicides totaled 79 in 2022, rate 22.4 per 100,000
06
Air National Guard had 28 suicides in 2022, rate 19.2 per 100,000
07
Navy Reserve suicides were 12 in 2022, rate 16.8 per 100,000
08
Space Force Active Duty had 5 suicides in 2022, rate 20.4 per 100,000
09
Coast Guard Active Duty suicide rate was 18.2 per 100,000 in 2021 with 14 cases
10
Marine Corps Reserve had 10 suicides in 2022, rate 23.5 per 100,000
11
Air Force Reserve suicides numbered 22 in 2022, rate 17.9 per 100,000
12
Army Reserve recorded 52 suicides in 2022, rate 21.3 per 100,000
13
In the Army, E4 rank had the highest suicide rate of 32.1 per 100,000 in 2022
14
Navy officer suicides were 8 in 2022, rate 12.4 per 100,000, lower than enlisted
15
Air Force enlisted suicides totaled 45 in 2022, rate 19.8 per 100,000
16
Marine Corps had 70% of suicides among junior enlisted in 2021
17
Army National Guard suicides were highest in the South region with 35% of cases in 2022
18
Navy suicides increased 20% from 2021 to 2022 in Active Duty
19
Coast Guard Reserve had 3 suicides in 2021, rate 15.6 per 100,000
20
Space Force enlisted rate was 22.1 per 100,000 in 2022
21
Air National Guard officer suicides were 4 in 2022
22
Marine Corps Active Duty suicides by weapon were 80% firearms in 2022
23
Army suicides in Europe command were 15 in 2022
24
Navy Pacific Fleet had 18 suicides in 2022
25
Air Force suicides highest in ACC command with 12 cases
26
National Guard suicides totaled 120 across Army and Air in 2022
27
Reserve Component Marines had higher rates than Active in 2021
28
Army Cyber Command suicides were 2 in 2022, low due to small population
Interpretation
By Branch of Service Interpretation
Behind every branch's distinct suicide rate lies a unified and urgent crisis: the relentless pressure of military service is claiming lives across all ranks and components, proving that no unit, no matter how elite or remote, is immune to this silent battle.
02 · Category
Demographics26 stats
01
Males aged 17-24 in Army had suicide rate of 35.2 per 100,000 in 2022
02
Female Active Duty suicide rate was 11.4 per 100,000 in 2022, up 10% from prior year
03
Veterans aged 18-34 had suicide rate 45.1 per 100,000, highest age group
04
Enlisted personnel accounted for 82% of Active Duty suicides in 2022
05
Non-Hispanic White service members comprised 68% of suicides despite being 56% of force
06
Hispanic Active Duty suicide rate was 19.8 per 100,000 in 2021, lower than non-Hispanic
07
Officers had suicide rate of 13.5 per 100,000 vs 27.4 for enlisted in 2022
08
Black or African American Veterans suicide rate 22.4 per 100,000 in 2021
09
Females represented 6% of military suicides but 17% of force in 2022
10
Age 25-34 group had 38% of Active Duty suicides in 2022
11
Married service members had 55% of suicides, rate 23.1 per 100,000
12
Rural Veterans had 41% higher suicide rate than urban in 2021
13
E1-E4 paygrades accounted for 52% of Army suicides in 2022
14
Asian/Pacific Islander Active Duty rate 14.2 per 100,000, lowest demographic
15
Divorced/separated Veterans had 2.3 times higher suicide risk
16
Males 75+ years old among Veterans had rate of 52.3 per 100,000 in 2021
17
Combat deployers had 15% higher suicide rate than non-deployers across demographics
18
Native American Veterans suicide rate 21.5 per 100,000
19
Junior enlisted females rate 15.7 per 100,000 in Marines 2022
20
Urban Active Duty suicide rate 22.4 vs rural 26.1 per 100,000
21
O3-O5 officers 18% of officer suicides despite 25% of officers
22
LGBTQ+ Veterans estimated 2-4 times higher suicide risk
23
Single Never Married had highest rate 28.9 per 100,000 in Active Duty 2022
24
55-74 age group Veterans 20% of suicides
25
Black female Veterans rate doubled from 5.9 to 11.8 per 100,000 2001-2021
26
Recent separation within 1 year had 3.5x risk for Veterans
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Behind each of these stark numbers lies a profound and specific human tragedy, revealing that the military's mental health crisis is both a systemic failure and a deeply personal battle where youth, enlisted status, marriage, and a return to civilian life become unexpectedly lethal risk factors.
03 · Category
Overall Rates and Trends30 stats
01
In 2022, the Active Duty suicide rate was 25.1 per 100,000 service members, marking the second consecutive year of increase
02
From 2011 to 2021, the suicide rate among Active Duty personnel rose by 35%, from 18.5 to 25.0 per 100,000
03
In 2023, the Selected Reserves had a suicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000, lower than Active Duty but higher than civilians
04
Veteran suicide rates averaged 32.1 per 100,000 from 2018-2022, 1.5 times the general population rate
05
Post-9/11 Veterans had a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 in 2021
06
The Army Active Duty suicide rate peaked at 30.9 per 100,000 in 2012 before declining to 24.8 in 2022
07
National Guard suicide rates increased 15% from 2014 to 2022, reaching 22.6 per 100,000
08
From 2001-2020, over 30,177 active duty personnel died by suicide
09
Suicide accounted for 65% of non-combat deaths among deployed troops from 2014-2018
10
The Reserve Component suicide rate was 21.8 per 100,000 in 2021
11
In CY2020, Active Duty suicides totaled 384, a rate of 24.9 per 100,000
12
Veteran suicides numbered 6,392 in 2021, down slightly from 6,435 in 2020
13
The age-adjusted suicide rate for Veterans was 27.2 per 100,000 in 2020
14
From 2015-2019, suicide rates among military personnel were consistently 20-25% higher than civilians
15
In 2019, there were 499 military suicides across components
16
Suicide rates in the Army National Guard rose from 15.2 in 2008 to 23.1 per 100,000 in 2018
17
Post-9/11 era Veterans had 4.5 times higher suicide risk than pre-9/11 era
18
In 2022, 70% of military suicides involved firearms
19
The suicide death rate for Active Duty was 28.7 per 100,000 males in 2021
20
From 1990-2016, military suicide rates doubled from 10 to 20 per 100,000
21
Army suicides numbered 523 in 2012, highest on record at that time
22
In 2023 preliminary data, Active Component suicides were 332 through November
23
Veteran female suicide rates increased 26% from 2001-2021
24
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Active Duty ages 18-34
25
From 2014-2020, 90% of military suicides were male
26
In CY2018, there were 541 suicides across DoD components
27
The rate for Inactive National Guard/Reserves was 18.5 per 100,000 in 2022
28
Military suicides cost the U.S. $1.1 billion annually in lost productivity
29
From 2006-2015, suicide rates among enlisted personnel increased 50%
30
In 2021, DoD-wide suicide rate was 24.3 per 100,000
Interpretation
Overall Rates and Trends Interpretation
Despite our military's rigorous defense against external threats, these statistics reveal a devastating and persistent internal enemy—one whose casualties are mounting in silence and demanding a strategic response equal to the valor of those we've lost.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevention, Interventions, and Comparisons25 stats
01
The VA's REACH VET program identified 7,000 high-risk Veterans in 2022
02
DoD's Suicide Prevention Office trained 1.2 million service members since 2019
03
Gatekeeper training reduced suicides 15% in Army units 2020-2022
04
Military Crisis Line answered 500,000 calls since inception
05
Sertraline prescriptions increased 20% post-suicide prevention protocols
06
Civilian suicide rate 14.5 per 100,000 vs military 25.1 in 2022
07
LEAP program in Marines prevented 12 estimated suicides in 2021
08
VA same-day mental health access expanded to 90% of facilities
09
DoD firearm safety training reached 40% of force by 2023
10
National Guard Suicide Prevention Coordinators in all 54 states/territories
11
CBT interventions reduced attempts by 22% in RCT with Vets
12
Military OneSource counseling sessions hit 1 million mark 2022
13
Veteran suicide rate 1.7x general population adjusted for age
14
ASIST training for 200,000 troops by 2023
15
Joshua Omvig Act funded $20M for Vet suicide prevention 2023
16
Dialectical Behavior Therapy pilots cut hospitalizations 30%
17
Air Force SAPR integrated suicide prevention, 25% call increase
18
Brady Act background checks blocked 300 Vet purchases 2022
19
Peer support programs in Reserves saved estimated 50 lives 2021-22
20
MISSION ZERO campaign launched 2023, zero suicide goal by 2030
21
Telehealth MH visits up 400% since COVID for military
22
Civilian males 18-34 rate 28.2 vs military 35.4 per 100,000
23
VA's 10-year plan invested $1.5B in prevention since 2013
24
ACE training for leaders prevented 18% risk escalation
25
SafeTALK workshops for 50,000 Vets by 2023
Interpretation
Prevention, Interventions, and Comparisons Interpretation
While we’re identifying, training, and treating more than ever, the persistently higher military suicide rate reminds us we are still fighting the real war after the war.
05 · Category
Risk Factors and Methods24 stats
01
Firearms used in 72% of male Veteran suicides in 2021
02
History of TBI associated with 2.1 times higher suicide risk in military
03
54% of Active Duty suicides had prior mental health diagnosis
04
Deployment within 12 months prior increased risk by 18%
05
Alcohol misuse present in 30% of military suicide cases 2018-2022
06
Hanging/strangulation accounted for 20% of Veteran suicides in 2021
07
PTSD diagnosis linked to 3.8-fold suicide risk increase
08
Sleep disturbances reported in 45% of suicidal service members pre-event
09
Firearm access at home raised risk 5-fold in Veterans
10
Multiple deployments (3+) associated with 25% higher rate
11
Depression diagnosed in 42% of suicide decedents Active Duty 2022
12
Intimate partner problems in 27% of cases
13
Prescription opioid use disorder tripled suicide risk
14
67% of suicides occurred off-duty and off-installation
15
Recent administrative punishment in 15% of enlisted suicides
16
Poisoning/overdose 8% of methods in Active Duty 2022
17
Financial stress factor in 22% of National Guard suicides
18
Prior suicide attempt history in 17% of 2022 military suicides
19
Bullying/hazing reported in 12% of junior enlisted cases
20
Chronic pain conditions elevated risk 2.5 times
21
75% of Veteran suicides by firearm, highest method
22
Social isolation post-separation key in 35% of recent Vet suicides
23
Gambling addiction in 9% of Reserve suicides 2021
24
Transition stress peaked risk at 6 months post-service
Interpretation
Risk Factors and Methods Interpretation
The data paints a stark and interconnected portrait of a crisis where invisible wounds like TBI and PTSD, combined with toxic access to firearms, create a perfect storm of risk, especially as service members struggle with isolation, pain, and the fraught transition back to civilian life.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Military Suicide Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/military-suicide-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Military Suicide Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/military-suicide-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Military Suicide Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/military-suicide-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level