Suicide rates throughout the military decreased slightly last year, according to the latest annual data released by the Defense Department on Thursday.
The overall number of troop suicide deaths throughout the active-duty force, National Guard and reserves dropped from 524 in 2021 to 492 in 2022, the department said. However, for active-duty service members specifically, the rate increased slightly last year to 331, up from 328 in 2021.
Defense officials noted that the suicide rate among active-duty troops remains less than the 383 deaths seen in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Military suicide rates, which are measured per 100,000, largely reflect trends seen in the general U.S. population. For both populations, those most at risk of suicide are men — almost 93% of military suicides in 2022 were enlisted men.
This year's report was the first to incorporate data on the childhood background of troops. An estimated 14% of service members who died by suicide had some form of childhood trauma, though officials who briefed reporters on findings noted that childhood information is collected only after death, which may lead to incomplete assessments.
The annual report comes amid a host of suicide prevention efforts led by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, though it was unclear whether any contributed to the shift in…
