The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published its National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, providing an analysis of veteran suicide data from 2001 to 2022. The report reveals that there were 6,407 suicides among veterans in 2022, a figure lower than in 12 of the previous 14 years but slightly higher than the total in 2021. In contrast, suicides among non-veterans rose by 1,476 to reach a total of 41,484 in the same year.

The report highlights several key findings regarding suicide rates among different veteran groups:

- Female veterans saw a significant decrease in age-adjusted suicide rates by 24.1% from 2021 to 2022, while female non-veteran adults experienced a rise of 5.2%. Male veterans had a minor increase of 1.6%, compared to a slightly higher increase of 1.8% for male non-veteran adults.

- Veterans with documented histories of homelessness recorded a reduction in suicide rates by 19.1% during the same period.

- Transitioning service members who separated from the military in 2021 had a suicide rate of 46.2 per 100,000 over the following year, marking an improvement from those who separated in previous years.

- Younger veterans aged between 18 and 34 saw their suicide rate decrease by 3.8%.

Over the long term, from 2001 to 2022, veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression have seen declines in suicide rates: anxiety (36.1%), depression (34.5%), post-traumatic stress disorder (31.6%), and alcohol use disorder (13.7%).

Addressing veteran suicide remains VA's top clinical priority and is integral to President Biden’s Unity Agenda and White House strategy on military and veteran suicide reduction efforts. Since early last year, VA has expanded support for veterans experiencing crises by offering no-cost healthcare at both VA and non-VA facilities for those in suicidal crisis; launching an emergency hotline via dialing "988" then pressing "1" for immediate assistance; enhancing firearm-related suicide prevention measures; and promoting outreach through national awareness campaigns.

“Every Veteran suicide is a tragedy,” stated Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough. “There is nothing more important to VA than ending Veteran suicide — and that means providing Veterans with the care they need, wherever they need it, whenever they need it. We will learn from this report to better serve Veterans and save lives.”

The report also includes detailed analyses of various veteran subpopulations along with preventive actions taken by VA based on verified data from authoritative sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Defense.

For further information about VA's nationwide efforts or additional mortality data related to veteran suicides across states, interested parties are encouraged to review accompanying state data sheets provided within the report.