Number of suicide and homicide victims by age, 1981-2009

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Violent Crime Victimization

Q:	How do the number of juvenile suicide victims compare to the number of juvenile homicide victims?
A:	Persons ages 7–17 are about as likely to be victims of suicide as they are to be victims of homicide.

Number of suicide and homicide victims by age, 1981-2009

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Nearly 31,700 juveniles ages 7–17 died by suicide in the U.S. between 1981 and 2009.
For all juveniles ages 7–17, suicide was the fourth leading cause of death over this period, trailing only unintentional injury (178,300), homicide (39,100) and cancer (36,900).
More than half (55%) of all juvenile suicides between 1981 and 2009 were committed with a firearm, 32% by some form of suffocation (e.g., hanging), and just over 8% by poisoning.
The proportion of juvenile suicides committed with a firearm peaked in 1994 at 69% and then fell, so that by 2009 less than half (38%) of juvenile suicides involved a firearm.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02701.asp?qaDate=2009. Released on March 05, 2012.

Data source: Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. (2012). WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) [interactive database system]. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html