471 US service members die by suicide in 2024

Washington: The overall number of suicides in the US military declined in 2024 compared to the year before, according to Pentagon data released on Tuesday.

“Fewer service members died by suicide in 2024 (471) than in 2023 (531),” while the overall suicide rate per 100,000 military personnel also fell, the Defense Department’s Annual Report on Suicide in the Military said.

“Of the service members who died by suicide in 2024, most were enlisted males under 30,” according to the report, which said “the use of a firearm was the most common method of death by suicide.”

Of the 471 suicide victims in 2024, 302 were on active duty, 64 were in the reserves and 105 were in the National Guard, with the latter being the only component of the military to have a higher suicide rate per 100,000 troops in 2024 than in 2023.

The report also provided data on suicides among family members of military personnel during 2023, when 146 died by suicide — the same number as in 2022.

Of those, 98 were spouses of military personnel while 48 were their dependents.

“Males accounted for 65 percent of suicides among military spouses and 60 percent of military dependent suicide deaths,” the report added.