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WASHINGTON, DC — A report released by VA shows the veteran suicide rate is the highest it has been since 2018, despite the intense focus the federal government has put on prevention in recent years.
The data released last month does highlight some successes, however, including improvements in rates of suicide for transitioning servicemembers, those suffering from military sexual trauma and patients with mental health and substance abuse disorders receiving VA care.
Because veteran mortality data needs to be compiled from state and local databases, VA’s suicide reports are regularly 2 years out of date, with these latest findings being based on 2023 numbers.
The total number of suicides among veterans in 2023 was 6,398—a number that has fluctuated up or down only slightly since 2001. While the total veteran population saw an uptick post-9/11, since 2007 it has been in steady decline, from 22.9 million to 15.8 million in 2023. Consequently, the overall suicide rate has trended upward.
In 2018, the overall veteran suicide rate was 33 per 100,000. In 2023, that rate stood at 35.2. On average, 17.5 veterans committed suicide per day in 2023, with 6.8 of those veterans receiving VA care. Younger veterans were more at risk, with the highest rate being 47.9 for 18-to 34-year-olds, followed by 37.3 for 35- to 54-year-olds. In 2023, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death for veterans, and the second leading cause of death for veterans under 45. The rate for male veterans was 34.7 per 100,000 and 13.9 for female veterans—both up slightly from 2022.
The suicide rate for nonveterans has also risen over the past 15 years, though not as steeply as for veterans, causing the gap between the two cohorts to grow wider over time. In 2023, the rate for nonveterans was 16.9 per 100,000. Adjusted for age and sex, the suicide rate for female veterans was 103.1% higher than female nonveterans, and 49.7% higher than for male nonveterans.
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The reports also illustrate the benefits for veterans receiving VA care and how that care has improved over time. From 2001 to 2023, the age-adjusted suicide rates for male veterans without recent VHA use rose by 71.1%, while it only rose 23% for those who had been recently seen by VA. For women, that difference was 64.6% compared to 29.6%. Among veterans in VHA care who had a mental health or substance abuse disorder diagnosis, the suicide rate fell by 34.7% between 2001 to 2023, suggesting VA screening and treatment has improved during that period.
A list of mental health diagnoses of veterans who died by suicide in 2023 shows that depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were the most common. For substance abuse, alcohol-use disorder made up nearly half of the recorded diagnoses.
Military sexual trauma can be another significant suicide risk factor (45.3% increase for women, 27.6% for men). However, from 2022 to 2023, suicide rates fell among veterans who VHA had positively screened for MST (25.1% decrease for women, 26% decrease for men), suggesting a strong benefit for veterans receiving MST-related care.
The period immediately following a veterans’ transition from active duty has historically been a time when veterans are most at risk for suicide. In 2022 (the latest year for which data is available), the rate was 41.2 per 100,000. However, this is the lowest that rate has been since 2016 and is nearly 20% lower than the rate in 2019.
The report also breaks down documented risk factors for veterans who died by suicide while receiving VHA care. The highest health-related factors were pain and sleep problems, both of which were noted in over 50% of veterans who died by suicide between 2021 and 2023. A general increase in health problems was documented in 43%, and a decline in physical ability in 34.8%.
Other significant risk factors included: financial loss, relationship problems, a sense of hopelessness and unsecured firearms in the home. All of these are risk factors for the population in general, though veterans are more likely to have unsecured firearms in the home and to die by suicide using a firearm (73.3% vs. 52.9%).
The intersection of veterans, suicide and firearms has become a hot-button issue in recent years, with attempts to VA to implement programs where at-risk veterans can voluntarily have their firearms secured challenged as unconstitutional. Last month, citing a new interpretation of the law, VA announced it would be ending a decades-long practice of reporting the names of veterans who are unable to manage their own fiduciary benefits to an FBI national background check database.
“Many Americans struggle with managing their finances, and veterans’ Second Amendment rights shouldn’t be stripped just because they need help in this area,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins.
As for the new suicide report, Collins said, “Veteran suicide has been a scourge on our nation for far too long. Most veterans who die by suicide were not in recent VA care, so making it easier for those who have worn the uniform to access the VA benefits they have earned is key. Under President [Donald]Trump, we are totally revamping the department’s approach to suicide prevention, with new leadership, a fresh focus on reaching those who need our help and—for the first time in VA history—a serious effort to track the efficacy of the hundreds of millions the department spends per year in this area to ensure we have real solutions, not just rhetoric.”
Trump also made veteran suicide a focus of his first administration, and VA has identified suicide prevention as it’s “top clinical priority” for more than a decade.