American Indian and Alaska Native People

American Indian and Alaska Native people had significantly higher suicide death rates than the overall U.S. population between 2019 and 2023. Among American Indian and Alaska Native people, suicide rates increased slightly, from 23 per 100,000 in 2019 to 24 per 100,000 in 2023. Over the same time period, the overall U.S. suicide death rate remained steady at 14 per 100,000.








Among American Indian and Alaska Native people, suicide rates were highest among those ages 25 to 34 between 2019 and 2023. Suicide rates for American Indian and Alaska Native people ages 5 to 54 were well above rates for people of the same ages in the overall U.S. population. Suicide rates for American Indian and Alaska Native people ages 55 and older fell below those of people of the same ages in the overall U.S population.








As in the overall U.S. population, between 2019 and 2023 the rate of suicide deaths for males was more than three times the rate for females among American Indian and Alaska Native people. The rate of suicide deaths among American Indian and Alaska Native people was higher than the rate for the overall U.S. population for both males and females.








Over 7% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults reported having suicidal thoughts in the previous year, compared to only 5.5% of adults in the overall U.S. population. Higher percentages of American Indian and Alaska Native adults also reported making a suicide plan or attempting suicide than adults in the overall U.S. population.








In 2023, a higher percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native high school youth reported feeling sad or hopeless in the past year, seriously considering attempting suicide in the past year, making a suicide plan in the past year, and attempting suicide in the past year compared to youth in the overall U.S. population.









The Scope of the Problem charts and graphs are also available as a PowerPoint slide set.