The number of U.S. service members who committed suicide in 2022 was less than the year before, but the fluctuating size of the military led to a slight increase in the department’s rate of suicide.
In 2022, 492 service members died by suicide, which is lower than the 524 who died by suicide the year prior, according to data released on Thursday in the Pentagon‘s Annual Report on Suicide in the Military for the 2022 calendar year. In 2022, 331 active-duty service members took their own lives. The suicide rate, which is the number of service members who committed suicide per 100,000, for the active component increased by 3% year over year, though the increase was not statistically significant. For the Reserve and National Guard, rates decreased by 12% and 18%.
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The overall trend from 2011-2022 indicates suicides are increasing among the active component, while there is no increasing or decreasing trend for the Reserve or the National Guard.
In 2022, nearly 70% of service members who ended their lives did so by firearm, while another 22% did so by hanging.
“Even one suicide is too many,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “We have much more work to do to reduce suicide across our Force, and owe it to our service members and our military families to provide the best possible care; to identify risk factors and spot warning signs; and to eliminate the tired old stigmas around seeking help.”
“There is no single solution to preventing suicide, but I remain focused on actions that will make a real difference and change the culture around this critical challenge,” he added. “Together, we can prevent suicide and take care of every outstanding patriot who steps up to defend our country.”
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The data also revealed a decrease of 16% in the suicide rate among family members of service members from 2021 to the previous year because the data lag a year behind. About two-thirds of the 168 family members who died by suicide in 2021 were spouses, while the other third were the service member’s dependents. Male spouses made up 48% of spousal suicides but only accounted for 14% of all military spouses.
Earlier this year, an independent committee recommended the Pentagon implement several gun safety measures to reduce suicides, including waiting periods for purchases of weapons and ammunition on military property and raising the minimum age for troops to buy them to 25. The department did not go forward with implementing the waiting period recommendation “at this time” due to the ease a service member could get a gun off base, Elizabeth Foster, executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency for the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told reporters.
