US records highest number of annual suicides in 2022

The United States recorded its highest number of suicides last year, with more than 49,000 people taking their own lives in 2022, according to newly released government data.

The United States recorded its highest number of suicides last year, with more than 49,000 people taking their own lives in 2022, according to newly released government data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted new data on Thursday suggesting suicides were becoming more common in the US than at any time since World War II.

US suicides steadily rose from the early 2000s until 2018, when the national rate hit its highest level since 1941. That year saw about 48,300 suicide deaths – or 14.2 for every 100,000 Americans.

The rate fell slightly in 2019 and dropped again in 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some experts tied that to a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and natural disasters when people tend to pull together and support each other.

But in 2021, suicides rose 4 percent. Last year, according to the new data, the number jumped by more than 1,000, to 49,449 – about a 3 percent increase compared to the year before.

The CDC data showed that men accounted for approximately 79 percent of the total number of suicides in 2022.