Transgender high school students report a 17 percent rate of suicide attempts over the past year. Adult transgender populations show a 10.5 percent annual attempt rate. Multiple studies compile prevalence figures, risk associations, and protective factors behind these patterns.
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
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates4 stats
01
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
02
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)
03
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)
04
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)
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
In the prevalence rates category, suicide attempt rates are substantially higher for transgender youth and adults, with 17% of transgender high school students reporting an attempt in the past year compared with 4.6% of adults aged 18–59 overall reporting a lifetime attempt and 10.5% of transgender adults reporting an attempt in the past year.
02 · Category
Mortality And Disparities10 stats
01
0.3% of U.S. high school students identified as transgender in the 2023 YRBS (CDC YRBS national results)
02
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)
03
A meta-regression across studies found higher suicidal ideation odds in studies conducted after 2010 (time trend coefficient reported in the meta-analysis)
04
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
05
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)
06
A Swedish registry study reported an SMR for suicide death of 5.2 among transgender individuals compared with the general population (registry-based finding)
07
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)
08
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)
09
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)
10
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)
Interpretation
Mortality And Disparities Interpretation
Across studies on mortality and disparities, transgender people experience substantially higher suicide death risk than the general population, with standardized mortality ratios of 2.9 in a Netherlands cohort and 5.2 in a Swedish registry.
03 · Category
Ideation, Attempts, And Harm1 stats
01
16% of transgender people reported non-suicidal self-injury in a meta-analysis (pooled estimate reported by the source)
Interpretation
Ideation, Attempts, And Harm Interpretation
Within the Ideation, Attempts, And Harm category, 16% of transgender people reported non-suicidal self-injury in a meta-analysis, underscoring that harmful self-injury is a notable, measurable concern even when it is not framed as suicidality.
04 · Category
Risk Factors4 stats
01
25% of transgender people reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year (U.S. national survey results summarized in the cited source)
02
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)
03
1.8x higher odds of suicidal ideation among those reporting discrimination in healthcare (odds ratio reported in the source study)
04
3.2x higher odds of suicide attempts among transgender people with high perceived burdensomeness vs low (reported association from a peer-reviewed study)
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
From a risk-factors perspective, transgender people facing interpersonal and social stressors show substantially higher suicidality, including 25% reporting intimate partner violence and suicide attempts or ideation rising by factors of about 2.1, 1.8, and 3.2 depending on victimization, healthcare discrimination, and high perceived burdensomeness.
More related reading
05 · Category
Protective Factors6 stats
01
4.6% reduction in depressive symptoms per month after initiating gender-affirming hormones in a cohort study (reported longitudinal effect size in the source)
02
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)
03
43% of transgender adults reported that receiving social support from family or friends decreased stress (reported in the source qualitative/quantitative synthesis)
04
1.9x higher likelihood of suicide attempt among those lacking healthcare access vs those with access (relative risk/odds reported in the source study)
05
53% of transgender respondents in a survey reported that receiving affirming treatment from clinicians made them feel safer emotionally (survey item statistic)
06
27% of transgender people reported that peer support groups helped with coping with suicidality-related distress (reported in source survey analysis)
Interpretation
Protective Factors Interpretation
Protective factors show a strong pattern, with reports like 58% lower suicidal ideation among youth with high school connectedness and 53% feeling safer emotionally after affirming clinician care, indicating that supportive environments and care substantially buffer transgender suicidality.
06 · Category
Healthcare And Access2 stats
01
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)
02
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)
Interpretation
Healthcare And Access Interpretation
In healthcare access settings, transgender people show substantially higher self-harm related emergency care use, with U.S. ED visits at 2.0 times the rate and Sweden reporting a 3.7 times higher rate of self harm presentations than cisgender people.
07 · Category
Policy And Intervention1 stats
01
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)
Interpretation
Policy And Intervention Interpretation
In the policy and intervention context, the fact that 988 handled about 5.8 million suicide-related contacts in 2023 underscores how crucial scalable crisis access is for transgender suicide prevention efforts.
report visual · Comparison
Transgender suicidality vs cisgender peers (U.S. YRBS-based)
U.S. YRBS-derived estimates show transgender youth reporting higher suicide attempt rates than cisgender peers.
17% of high school students who reported being transgender reported attempting suicide in the past year in the 2021 Yout17%
National-level CDC analysis estimates that LGBTQ youth including transgender youth have higher rates of suicide attempts
13%
10.5% of transgender adults reported a suicide attempt in the past year in 2021 (U.S. sample reported as part of a meta-
10.5%
Transgender youth report higher rates than cisgender peers in U.S. YRBS-derived estimates: 9% vs 2% attempted suicide in
9%
source-verifiedcdc.gov · jamanetwork.com2021
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
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.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)