Transgender Suicidality Statistics

GITNUXREPORT 2026

Transgender Suicidality Statistics

Recent national and registry linked evidence makes the gap impossible to ignore, including 10.5% of transgender adults reporting a past year suicide attempt and a 5.2 suicide death standardized mortality ratio in Sweden compared with the general population. You will also see why risk climbs with factors like healthcare discrimination, victimization, and perceived burdensomeness, and what signals of protection like gender affirming care and school connectedness change in real lives.

28 statistics28 sources7 sections7 min readUpdated 28 days ago

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

4.6% of adults aged 18–59 in 2021 reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lifetime (NHIS), with transgender adults at substantially higher lifetime attempt prevalence than cisgender adults

Statistic 2

10.5% of transgender adults reported a suicide attempt in the past year in 2021 (U.S. sample reported as part of a meta-analysis summarizing recent attempts across surveys)

Statistic 3

17% of high school students who reported being transgender reported attempting suicide in the past year in the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (CDC national-level YRBS)

Statistic 4

4.6% of LGBQ youth and 9.2% of transgender youth reported attempting suicide in the past year (U.S. national Youth Risk Behavior Survey-based analysis, 2017–2019 pooling)

Statistic 5

0.3% of U.S. high school students identified as transgender in the 2023 YRBS (CDC YRBS national results)

Statistic 6

Transgender youth report higher rates than cisgender peers in U.S. YRBS-derived estimates: 9% vs 2% attempted suicide in the past year (CDC MMWR report comparing groups)

Statistic 7

A meta-regression across studies found higher suicidal ideation odds in studies conducted after 2010 (time trend coefficient reported in the meta-analysis)

Statistic 8

National-level CDC analysis estimates that LGBTQ youth including transgender youth have higher rates of suicide attempts than non-LGBTQ peers; one reported national point estimate is 13% for LGBTQ youth

Statistic 9

In a large observational cohort study (Netherlands), transgender adults had a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for suicide of 2.9 compared with the general population (reported in the study)

Statistic 10

A Swedish registry study reported an SMR for suicide death of 5.2 among transgender individuals compared with the general population (registry-based finding)

Statistic 11

A U.S. claims-based study found increased odds of suicide attempt among transgender patients compared with matched controls with an odds ratio of 1.76 (reported association)

Statistic 12

A U.S. study using electronic health records reported 2.2 times greater rates of suicidal behavior among transgender patients versus cisgender controls (rate ratio reported)

Statistic 13

In the UK Biobank-linked analyses, transgender participants showed higher prevalence of self-harm history than cisgender participants with an odds ratio reported as 1.7 (association from the study)

Statistic 14

In a U.S. systematic review focused on disparities, 9–18% of transgender individuals reported suicide attempts depending on the study and measurement window (range summarized by the review)

Statistic 15

16% of transgender people reported non-suicidal self-injury in a meta-analysis (pooled estimate reported by the source)

Statistic 16

25% of transgender people reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year (U.S. national survey results summarized in the cited source)

Statistic 17

2.1x higher odds of suicide attempts among those experiencing victimization compared with those not experiencing victimization (odds ratio reported in the source epidemiologic study)

Statistic 18

1.8x higher odds of suicidal ideation among those reporting discrimination in healthcare (odds ratio reported in the source study)

Statistic 19

3.2x higher odds of suicide attempts among transgender people with high perceived burdensomeness vs low (reported association from a peer-reviewed study)

Statistic 20

4.6% reduction in depressive symptoms per month after initiating gender-affirming hormones in a cohort study (reported longitudinal effect size in the source)

Statistic 21

58% of youth who reported school connectedness reported lower rates of suicidal ideation compared with youth with low connectedness (CDC YRBS connectedness analysis summarized by the source)

Statistic 22

43% of transgender adults reported that receiving social support from family or friends decreased stress (reported in the source qualitative/quantitative synthesis)

Statistic 23

1.9x higher likelihood of suicide attempt among those lacking healthcare access vs those with access (relative risk/odds reported in the source study)

Statistic 24

53% of transgender respondents in a survey reported that receiving affirming treatment from clinicians made them feel safer emotionally (survey item statistic)

Statistic 25

27% of transgender people reported that peer support groups helped with coping with suicidality-related distress (reported in source survey analysis)

Statistic 26

In a 2018–2021 U.S. ED visit analysis, transgender patients had 2.0 times the rate of self-harm-related emergency department visits compared with cisgender patients (rate ratio reported by study)

Statistic 27

3.7x higher rate of emergency department presentations for self-harm among transgender people vs cisgender people was reported in a Swedish registry-based study (study reports rate ratio)

Statistic 28

2023 Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls/texts related to the 988 line reached about 5.8 million contacts (U.S. annual total; contextual crisis-access volume)

Sources
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Diana Reeves

Written by Diana Reeves·Edited by Elena Vasquez·Fact-checked by Peter Sandoval

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 13, 2026
Fact-checked via 4-step process
01Primary Source Collection

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

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

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With 988 reaching about 5.8 million contacts in 2023, the scale of crisis support is impossible to ignore. Yet the same data sources also show stark gaps, from 10.5% of transgender adults reporting a past year suicide attempt to much lower rates among cisgender peers and many non transgender LGBTQ youth. This post pulls together the most recent US and international findings and looks closely at what may be driving these differences.

Key Takeaways

  • 4.6% of adults aged 18–59 in 2021 reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lifetime (NHIS), with transgender adults at substantially higher lifetime attempt prevalence than cisgender adults
  • 10.5% of transgender adults reported a suicide attempt in the past year in 2021 (U.S. sample reported as part of a meta-analysis summarizing recent attempts across surveys)
  • 17% of high school students who reported being transgender reported attempting suicide in the past year in the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (CDC national-level YRBS)
  • 0.3% of U.S. high school students identified as transgender in the 2023 YRBS (CDC YRBS national results)
  • Transgender youth report higher rates than cisgender peers in U.S. YRBS-derived estimates: 9% vs 2% attempted suicide in the past year (CDC MMWR report comparing groups)
  • A meta-regression across studies found higher suicidal ideation odds in studies conducted after 2010 (time trend coefficient reported in the meta-analysis)
  • 16% of transgender people reported non-suicidal self-injury in a meta-analysis (pooled estimate reported by the source)
  • 25% of transgender people reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year (U.S. national survey results summarized in the cited source)
  • 2.1x higher odds of suicide attempts among those experiencing victimization compared with those not experiencing victimization (odds ratio reported in the source epidemiologic study)
  • 1.8x higher odds of suicidal ideation among those reporting discrimination in healthcare (odds ratio reported in the source study)
  • 4.6% reduction in depressive symptoms per month after initiating gender-affirming hormones in a cohort study (reported longitudinal effect size in the source)
  • 58% of youth who reported school connectedness reported lower rates of suicidal ideation compared with youth with low connectedness (CDC YRBS connectedness analysis summarized by the source)
  • 43% of transgender adults reported that receiving social support from family or friends decreased stress (reported in the source qualitative/quantitative synthesis)
  • In a 2018–2021 U.S. ED visit analysis, transgender patients had 2.0 times the rate of self-harm-related emergency department visits compared with cisgender patients (rate ratio reported by study)
  • 3.7x higher rate of emergency department presentations for self-harm among transgender people vs cisgender people was reported in a Swedish registry-based study (study reports rate ratio)

Transgender people report substantially higher suicide attempts and related self-harm than cisgender peers.

Related reading

Prevalence Rates

14.6% of adults aged 18–59 in 2021 reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lifetime (NHIS), with transgender adults at substantially higher lifetime attempt prevalence than cisgender adults[1]
Verified
210.5% of transgender adults reported a suicide attempt in the past year in 2021 (U.S. sample reported as part of a meta-analysis summarizing recent attempts across surveys)[2]
Directional
317% of high school students who reported being transgender reported attempting suicide in the past year in the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (CDC national-level YRBS)[3]
Verified
44.6% of LGBQ youth and 9.2% of transgender youth reported attempting suicide in the past year (U.S. national Youth Risk Behavior Survey-based analysis, 2017–2019 pooling)[4]
Verified

Prevalence Rates Interpretation

For the prevalence rates, suicide attempts are consistently higher among transgender people, with 10.5% reporting an attempt in the past year and even 17% of transgender high school students doing so in 2021, far above cisgender adult and pooled youth rates of 4.6% for LGBQ and 9.2% for transgender youth.

More related reading

Mortality And Disparities

10.3% of U.S. high school students identified as transgender in the 2023 YRBS (CDC YRBS national results)[5]
Verified
2Transgender youth report higher rates than cisgender peers in U.S. YRBS-derived estimates: 9% vs 2% attempted suicide in the past year (CDC MMWR report comparing groups)[6]
Verified
3A meta-regression across studies found higher suicidal ideation odds in studies conducted after 2010 (time trend coefficient reported in the meta-analysis)[7]
Verified
4National-level CDC analysis estimates that LGBTQ youth including transgender youth have higher rates of suicide attempts than non-LGBTQ peers; one reported national point estimate is 13% for LGBTQ youth[8]
Verified
5In a large observational cohort study (Netherlands), transgender adults had a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for suicide of 2.9 compared with the general population (reported in the study)[9]
Single source
6A Swedish registry study reported an SMR for suicide death of 5.2 among transgender individuals compared with the general population (registry-based finding)[10]
Single source
7A U.S. claims-based study found increased odds of suicide attempt among transgender patients compared with matched controls with an odds ratio of 1.76 (reported association)[11]
Verified
8A U.S. study using electronic health records reported 2.2 times greater rates of suicidal behavior among transgender patients versus cisgender controls (rate ratio reported)[12]
Verified
9In the UK Biobank-linked analyses, transgender participants showed higher prevalence of self-harm history than cisgender participants with an odds ratio reported as 1.7 (association from the study)[13]
Verified
10In a U.S. systematic review focused on disparities, 9–18% of transgender individuals reported suicide attempts depending on the study and measurement window (range summarized by the review)[14]
Directional

Mortality And Disparities Interpretation

Across studies under the Mortality And Disparities framing, transgender people show markedly elevated suicide risk, with U.S. youth estimates showing 9% attempted suicide versus 2% for cisgender peers and international mortality findings reaching an SMR of 5.2 for suicide deaths in Sweden compared with the general population.

Ideation, Attempts, And Harm

116% of transgender people reported non-suicidal self-injury in a meta-analysis (pooled estimate reported by the source)[15]
Directional

Ideation, Attempts, And Harm Interpretation

In the “Ideation, Attempts, And Harm” category, a meta-analysis found that 16% of transgender people reported non-suicidal self-injury, underscoring a notable level of self-directed harm even beyond suicidal intent.

More related reading

Risk Factors

125% of transgender people reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year (U.S. national survey results summarized in the cited source)[16]
Directional
22.1x higher odds of suicide attempts among those experiencing victimization compared with those not experiencing victimization (odds ratio reported in the source epidemiologic study)[17]
Verified
31.8x higher odds of suicidal ideation among those reporting discrimination in healthcare (odds ratio reported in the source study)[18]
Single source
43.2x higher odds of suicide attempts among transgender people with high perceived burdensomeness vs low (reported association from a peer-reviewed study)[19]
Directional

Risk Factors Interpretation

In the Risk Factors context, transgender people who face specific forms of harm show markedly elevated suicidality, including 2.1 times higher odds of suicide attempts with victimization, 1.8 times higher odds of suicidal ideation when discrimination occurs in healthcare, and 3.2 times higher odds of suicide attempts when perceived burdensomeness is high, alongside the fact that 25% report intimate partner violence in the past year.

More related reading

Protective Factors

14.6% reduction in depressive symptoms per month after initiating gender-affirming hormones in a cohort study (reported longitudinal effect size in the source)[20]
Verified
258% of youth who reported school connectedness reported lower rates of suicidal ideation compared with youth with low connectedness (CDC YRBS connectedness analysis summarized by the source)[21]
Directional
343% of transgender adults reported that receiving social support from family or friends decreased stress (reported in the source qualitative/quantitative synthesis)[22]
Verified
41.9x higher likelihood of suicide attempt among those lacking healthcare access vs those with access (relative risk/odds reported in the source study)[23]
Single source
553% of transgender respondents in a survey reported that receiving affirming treatment from clinicians made them feel safer emotionally (survey item statistic)[24]
Verified
627% of transgender people reported that peer support groups helped with coping with suicidality-related distress (reported in source survey analysis)[25]
Verified

Protective Factors Interpretation

Across studies, strong protective factors stand out, with 58% of connected youth reporting lower suicidal ideation and 53% of transgender respondents saying affirming clinician treatment made them feel safer emotionally, both underscoring how supportive environments can reduce suicidality risk.

Healthcare And Access

1In a 2018–2021 U.S. ED visit analysis, transgender patients had 2.0 times the rate of self-harm-related emergency department visits compared with cisgender patients (rate ratio reported by study)[26]
Verified
23.7x higher rate of emergency department presentations for self-harm among transgender people vs cisgender people was reported in a Swedish registry-based study (study reports rate ratio)[27]
Directional

Healthcare And Access Interpretation

In healthcare access contexts, transgender people showed substantially higher self harm emergency care use, with US ED visits at 2.0 times the cisgender rate and a Swedish registry study finding 3.7 times higher self harm presentations.

More related reading

Policy And Intervention

12023 Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls/texts related to the 988 line reached about 5.8 million contacts (U.S. annual total; contextual crisis-access volume)[28]
Verified

Policy And Intervention Interpretation

With 5.8 million annual 988 Lifeline contacts in 2023, policy and intervention efforts should prioritize making access to crisis support faster and more tailored for transgender people.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

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APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Transgender Suicidality Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/transgender-suicidality-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Transgender Suicidality Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/transgender-suicidality-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Transgender Suicidality Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/transgender-suicidality-statistics.

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samhsa.gov
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