Suicide Prevention by the Numbers
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
(formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline)
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people, and, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the tenth-leading cause of death in the nation . Every year in the U.S., more people die by suicide than in car accidents or homicides (CDC, 2019).
316
For every one person who dies by suicide annually, 316 people seriously consider suicide, but do not kill themselves.
23,044,100
The Lifeline has received over 20 million people in distress looking for support when they needed it most.
66%
Over 66% of crisis centers provide suicide prevention and other mental health training within their communities.
45
The average speed of answer for lifeline calls is approximately 45 seconds.
2%
Less than 2% of Lifeline calls involve emergency services. When emergency services are involved, over half of these emergency dispatches occur with the caller's consent.
90.6%
90.6% of callers reported that follow-up kept them safe.
34%
34% of Lifeline calls are about mental health concerns other than suicide.
