Military suicides fell in 2024: Pentagon

Fewer American troops committed suicide in 2024 compared to the year prior, declining by 11 percent, countering an upward trend over the past 15 years, a new Pentagon report found. 

The report, released Tuesday, found that 471 service members took their own lives in 2024, 52 fewer compared to 2023. Of that number, 302 were active duty, 105 were National Guard and 64 were Reserve soldiers.

The report also found that the rate of suicides per 100,000 service members dropped in the same time frame, from 26 to 23.2. The decline happened during the Biden administration after a troubling rise over the past decade. 

But even with the slight downward trend, suicide rates among active duty troops have been on the rise since 2011. 

Of the service members who died by suicide in 2024, most were enlisted males under 30, accounting for 56 percent, a bigger portion than past years, the report says.

The increase in the active component suicide rates from 2011 to 2024 “mirrors the increase in the U.S. population suicide rates over time,” according to the report, which noted that Reserve and National Guard rates remain stable. 

“It remains to be seen whether the short-term decreases observed in 2024 in the Active Component will signal a change in long-term trends,” it adds.

“Recognizing that every death by suicide is a tragedy, the Department will continue to take action to support our men and women in uniform and their families, promote the wellbeing and resilience of the force, and take steps to prevent suicide in our military community,” the Pentagon said in a statement released alongside the report. “Ongoing research ensures the Department remains responsive to the evolving needs of Service members and their families.”

The military has taken a keen focus on suicide prevention in the past decade, with the previous defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, making it a priority during his leadership.

The Pentagon employed a multipronged approach to tackling the issue through implementation of a bolstered suicide prevention strategy plan in 2023 that included efforts to increase mental health care and gun safety education and address social stigma.

The 2024 data shows that firearms remain a leading cause of suicide death for military service members and their family members, with the Pentagon trying to address the problem by spreading awareness about safely securing and storing firearms.

Nearly half of the service members who took their own lives in 2024, 47 percent, had a mental health diagnosis such as alcohol or substance use disorder, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress. 

About 13 percent had financial problems, 24 percent had administrative or legal problems, 34 percent had workplace difficulties, and 45 percent had intimate relationship problems.

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