The Pentagon said fewer Americans died by suicide in 2024, even as it cautioned that the year-to-year decline may not mean the longer-term trend is changing. In a report released Tuesday, the department said suicide deaths fell 11% to 471 from a year earlier.
The department also reported that the overall suicide rate for active duty troops fell in 2024 compared with 2023. It attributed recent declines to efforts during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s tenure, after suicide deaths rose in 2023.
Despite the 2024 decrease, the Pentagon said the suicide rate for active duty service members overall has continued to rise gradually between 2011 and 2024. It reported that the National Guard and Reserve have stayed largely stable over that period.
The Pentagon said its statistics generally reflect changes in suicide rates for the broader U.S. population once adjusted for age and gender, because most service members are young and male. The report said the overall trend among active duty service members “mirrors the increase in the U.S. population suicide rates over time,” and also warned that the question now is whether 2024’s short-term decreases will hold.
The Pentagon said, “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.” The Pentagon emphasized suicide prevention has become a focus in recent years, describing efforts to expand mental health assistance for troops and to bolster education on gun safety, locks and storage.
The department pointed to the Brandon Act, a law passed in 2021 after a Navy sailor’s suicide, which it said allows service members to seek help confidentially “for any reason, at any time, and in any environment.” In its news release after the report was published, the Pentagon said it would keep acting to support service members and their families and to prevent suicide in the military community.
The Pentagon said most service members who died by suicide in 2024 were enlisted men under age 30. It reported that in 2024, 302 active duty service members died by suicide, along with 64 reservists and 105 in the National Guard.
According to the report, nearly half of active duty service members who died by suicide in 2024 had a mental health diagnosis such as alcohol use disorder, depression or anxiety, while a third had workplace difficulties and 45% had intimate relationship problems.
For those experiencing a crisis, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988, or using the online chat at 988lifeline.org.