Racial disparities in suicide-related mortality in the US: Examining trends before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic using the CDC WONDER database.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Ecological time-trend registry study using national vital statistics data.
PubMed 41389656 · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116885
What was done
Mortality data from the CDC WONDER database were analyzed from 2018 to 2023 to assess racial disparities in US suicide deaths. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 100,000 persons across racial groups were evaluated across three periods: pre-pandemic (2018–2019), pandemic peak (2020–2021), and post-pandemic (2022–2023). Trends and shifts across periods were assessed using percent change in AAMR.
What was found
Between 2018 and 2023, 289,391 suicide-related deaths were reported, with 77.10% among Non-Hispanic (NH) White individuals. NH American Indian or Alaska Native individuals had the highest AAMR (24.68 per 100,000), while NH Asian individuals had the lowest (6.67 per 100,000). During the pandemic peak, AAMR increased most in NH American Indian (16.62%) and NH Black individuals (12.20%). In the post-pandemic period, the largest rise was among NH Black individuals (9.30%). Firearms were the most common method, and drowning and submersion were the least common.
Why it matters
This study documents worsening racial disparities in suicide mortality around the COVID-19 pandemic, with the sharpest rate increases occurring among historically underserved minority groups.
Limits
The study relies on aggregate death certificate data from CDC WONDER, which may be subject to racial misclassification or suicide underreporting. Individual-level mental health, socioeconomic, and pandemic-exposure variables were not available.
Cited by
- context The frequency of suicide is increasing significantly across all communities.