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    Per capita suicide rates from 2017-2024, among minority service members and veterans (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women), have increased 57% on average, versus 6% during the same timeframe for their white, cisgender male counterparts.2

      Minority servicemember and veteran populations experience stressors associated with increased risk for suicide, including higher rates of depression and adverse social determinants of health that are often associated with suicide risk, such as adverse childhood experiences, adulthood sexual violence, and homelessness. Research highlights potential factors driving these disparities, including discrimination such as Uniform Code of Military Justice punishment, racial health inequities, and cultural factors, as well as higher rates of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and lower help-seeking rates relative to other servicemember and veteran subgroups.2, 4, 5

    • Suicide rates among service members and veterans of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent (AAPI) is 3.5x higher than the national average. 2,3
    • Suicide rates among Black and Hispanic service members and veterans is 2x higher than the national average. 2,3
    • The suicide rate among LGBTQ+ service members and veterans is 2.4x higher (82.5 per 100 000, compared to 34.7 per 100,000) than the general veteran population.1
    • Suicide rates among women service members and veterans is nearly 2x higher than their civilian counterparts.3

    (1Lynch, KE et al., 2020; 2Johnson, 2024; 3Office of Suicide Prevention, 2024; 4Wong, et al., 2020; 5SAMHSA, 2026)