Suicide mortality among adolescents and young adults aged 10-24 years in the Americas, 2000-2021: an analysis using the WHO Global Health Estimates

AI Summary

Suicide mortality among 10-24-year-olds in the Americas rose from 5.70 to 7.84 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2021, increasing 1.48% annually.
Marked disparities: rates nearly threefold higher in males, increase with age, but temporal rises are faster among females; North America shows highest rates and growth.
Hanging, strangulation or suffocation caused 58.4% of deaths; firearms 24.4%. Calls for school-based prevention, early mental health interventions and means-restriction policies.

Lancet Reg Health Am. 2026 May 9;60:101497. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2026.101497. eCollection 2026 Aug.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Suicide remains the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults aged 10-24 years in the Americas. We aimed to evaluate patterns and trends in suicide mortality among adolescents and young adults across the Americas from 2000 to 2021.

METHODS: We used data from the WHO Global Health Estimates 2021 to estimate suicide mortality rates among individuals aged 10-24 years in 35 countries of the Americas, stratified by age, sex, and income. Temporal trends were assessed using average annual percentage change estimated through Joinpoint regression based on log-linear models of suicide mortality against calendar year.

FINDINGS: In 2021, suicide accounted for an estimated 18,157 deaths (95% uncertainty interval 16,103-20,475) among adolescents and young adults in the Americas; 75% occurred among males. Suicide mortality increased by 1.48% per year (1.08-1.89; p < 0.0001), rising from 5.70 deaths (5.13-6.26) per 100,000 population in 2000 to 7.84 (6.95-8.84) per 100,000 in 2021. Patterns were heterogeneous, with widening disparities by sex, age, and geography. Suicide mortality rates increased with age and were nearly threefold higher among males than females, although temporal increases were higher among females. North America had the highest rates, fastest growth, and largest sex disparities. Hanging, strangulation, or suffocation accounted for 58.4% of deaths, followed by firearms (24.4%) and poisoning by drugs (4.5%).

INTERPRETATION: Suicide mortality among adolescents and young adults in the Americas has increased over the past two decades, with marked demographic and geographic disparities. Steep increases among early adolescents (10-14 years) underscore the need for strengthened school-based prevention and early mental health interventions. Prioritizing countries with rates above the regional average and scaling up evidence-based means-restriction policies are essential components of comprehensive, youth-focused suicide prevention strategies in the Americas.

FUNDING: There was no funding source for this study.

PMID:42169977 | PMC:PMC13188133 | DOI:10.1016/j.lana.2026.101497

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