Suicide rates declined again in 2020, but not for all groups, CDC report shows

While suicide deaths dropped overall in the U.S., there were increases among young adults, as well as American Indians and Alaska Natives, Black Americans and Hispanic Americans, the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

Suicide rates in the United States had increased by 35 percent between 1999 and 2018, before a slight dip of 2 percent in 2019.

The new CDC data, which included 99 percent of suicide deaths in 2020, showed an additional 3 percent decrease last year.

Drops in suicide deaths among white men and women were the main forces behind the declines in both 2019 and 2020. Rates for white Americans declined by 5 percent — the largest of any group — followed by a 4 percent drop for Asian Americans. White men saw a 3 percent decrease, while white women overall saw a 10 percent decrease.