VA Reports Second Straight Year of Decline in Veteran Suicides; Rate Falls to 36.4 per 100,000

Editor's note: This report contains discussion of suicide. Troops, veterans and family members experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, press 1, text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.

Fewer U.S. veterans died by suicide in 2024 than in 2023, and the veteran suicide rate edged down slightly, the Department of Veterans Affairs said in its latest annual suicide prevention report released last week.

Overview

The VA reported 6,488 veteran suicide deaths in 2024, down from 6,662 in 2023. The suicide rate among veterans declined modestly from 36.6 per 100,000 in 2023 to 36.4 per 100,000 in 2024.

How Veterans Compare With the General Population

Despite the decline, the veteran suicide rate remains more than double the rate for the overall U.S. population, which was 16.4 per 100,000 in 2024 (compared with 16.7 in 2023).

Age and Risk Patterns

The VA's breakdown shows the highest suicide rate among younger veterans: 45.5 per 100,000 for ages 18–34. Other age-group rates in 2024 were 38.5 per 100,000 for ages 35–54, 32.7 per 100,000 for ages 55–74, and 35.8 per 100,000 for those 75 and older. The VA reported improvements among younger cohorts: a 4.7% drop for ages 18–34 and a 2.3% decline for ages 35–54.

Prevention Efforts and Programs

The VA pointed to increased outreach and investments in suicide prevention as factors in recent progress. The department says outreach efforts have enrolled 250,000 veterans in VA care since January 2025 and that the public service campaign "Don't Wait. Reach Out." helped prompt an estimated 3.5 million veterans to take action.

On Tuesday the VA awarded $111 million in grants to nonprofits, state and local governments and other organizations through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, aimed at connecting veterans who are not currently linked to VA services.

Among veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration, the suicide rate fell by 4.8%, a drop VA officials described as meaningful given the complex medical and mental health needs of many veterans who seek care.

Transition From Service and Solid Start

Leaving active military service has long been associated with elevated suicide risk. The rate among those separated from active duty has fallen markedly since 2019 (51.1 per 100,000) to 36.1 per 100,000 in 2023, the most recent year available for that breakdown. The VA credited its Solid Start outreach program with helping reduce risk: veterans the VA contacted through Solid Start had a suicide rate of 30.5 per 100,000, compared with 42.7 per 100,000 for veterans the VA tried to reach but did not contact.

“VA healthcare saves lives, so we're making every effort to get more Veterans into the system to get the care and benefits they've earned,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said. “That means deploying innovative new ways of reaching unenrolled Veterans, screening them for suicide risk and expanding suicide prevention training both inside and outside VA.”

Longer-Term Perspective

Since 2001, more than 159,000 veterans have died by suicide, the report says. The VA identified several groups at elevated risk, including homeless veterans, those with mental health conditions and female veterans. The report also notes that an average of 17.7 veterans die by suicide each day, down from about 19 per day in 2018, when 7,015 veterans died by suicide.

Data source: The VA's annual suicide report compiles national and state vital statistics and other data to produce the estimates and trends in this release.