Axios reports today on “Generation Z’s suicide epidemic.” Among the older half of Generation Z, suicide is the “highest it’s been since at least 1999.” That’s true, and among girls it’s the highest it’s ever been. But among boys it’s not quite at its peak from the late 80s and early 90s—though it will get there soon on current trends:
Here are suicide rates by age group since 1999:
Among men, suicide rates flattened out around 2010 for the middle-aged. At the same time, it surged among the young.
Among women, suicide has been steadily increasing for the past 20 years. There aren’t really any big spurts or any flattening out. The overall suicide rate is still far lower for women than for men, but they’re catching up: since 1999, suicide is up by 58 percent among women compared to 34 percent for men.