Stats on Suicide in Men

Men’s mental health struggles often go unrecognized or undiagnosed, and due to widespread stigma and misunderstanding surrounding suicide, deaths by suicide may be incorrectly or mistakenly listed as ‘deaths by unintentional injuries’. As such, many of the statistics below are likely to be under-estimations of the real toll that suicide takes on men, their families, and their communities.

Key statistics around suicide and depression

Almost 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, nearly twice the number who die by homicide.⁽¹⁾
For every death by suicide, there are approximately 20 suicide attempts made.⁽²⁾
Each death by suicide leaves behind a community of bereaved family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. For every death by suicide, at least 7 to 10 people are directly affected by the loss.⁽³⁾
Research shows that mental illness is the most important risk factor for suicide. More than 90% of people who die by suicide struggle with their mental health and/ or addiction.⁽⁴⁾⁽⁵⁾ Researchers estimate that up to 60% of people who die by suicide have major depression.⁽⁶⁾⁽⁷⁾

Men and Suicide

The global disparity in suicide rates between men and women is a well-documented phenomenon, with men consistently exhibiting higher rates. This disparity is attributed to a complex interplay of many factors.

While men tend to use more lethal methods of suicide (e.g., hanging, firearms), they are more likely to die during any attempt, meaning that it is not the method alone that explains the vast difference in suicide rates between men and women.⁽⁸⁾ Other factors, such as alcohol use, severity of underlying illness, loneliness, and shame, must be considered as contributing factors to the elevated suicide rates among men.⁽⁹⁾ Together, these findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and public health initiatives to address the unique challenges faced by men in relation to suicide risk.

Men account for 75-80% of deaths by suicide

Canada: In Canada, men account for 3 out of every 4 suicides. Roughly 8 men take their life every day, amounting to 3,000 deaths per year.⁽¹⁰⁾
UK: In the UK, where nearly 12 men lose their lives to suicide every day, men die by suicide at rate 3 times more often women.⁽¹¹⁾
USA: In the United States, the suicide rate among males is 4 times higher than among females. Male deaths represent 79% of suicides, amounting to roughly 105 men who die by suicide every day.^{(12) (13)}

Suicide is a leading cause of death for men under age 50

Canada: Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for men under the age of 50.⁽¹⁴⁾
UK: Suicide is the single largest cause of death for men under the age of 50.⁽¹⁵⁾
USA: Suicide is the 2nd most common cause of death for men under the age of 45.⁽¹⁶⁾

Men are much less likely to get help for their mental health

According to a meta-analysis looking at 20 studies across North America and Western Europe, 19.7% of men (fewer than 1 in 5) had contact with mental health professionals in the year leading up to suicide, compared to 35.0% of women.⁽¹⁷⁾

Canada: According to a 2005 survey of 132,221 Canadians, Canadian men were found to be 2.7 times less likely to utilize mental health services than Canadian women.⁽¹⁸⁾
UK: Only 36% of referrals to the United Kingdom National Health Service for talk therapy are for men.⁽¹⁹⁾
USA: In the year before suicide, only 35% of men, on average, sought care from a mental health practitioner.⁽²⁰⁾

Thoughts of suicide are common among men

16.2% of HeadsUpGuys Self Check submissions reflect daily thoughts about suicide.

Canada: In 2019, 1,666,200 Canadian men over the age of 15 (roughly 9% of the male population) reported that they have seriously contemplated suicide in their lifetime.⁽²¹⁾
UK: According to a 2007 national survey, 6.1% of men 16+ reported having thoughts of suicide within the past year.⁽²²⁾
USA: In 2015, roughly 9.8 million adults aged 18 or older thought seriously about trying to kill themselves in the previous 12 months, and males and females were found to have similar rates.⁽²³⁾

Next Steps

Learn more about how to seek support and help prevent suicide in men on our Suicide in Men page. You can also read our post, How to Talk about Suicide, to learn about common phrases we see, hear, and use that may inadvertently perpetuate stigma related to suicide.

Facts and Figures

Key statistics around suicide and depression

Men and Suicide

Men account for 75-80% of deaths by suicide

Suicide is a leading cause of death for men under age 50

Men are much less likely to get help for their mental health

Thoughts of suicide are common among men

Next Steps

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How to Talk about Suicide: Avoiding Phrases like ‘Commit’