Last updated on: 8/29/2018 | Author: ProCon.org

Leading Causes of Suicide, Homicide, and Unintentional Death

1999-2016

Between 1999-2016 (an 18-year period), according to US data from the Centers for Disease Control’s WISQARS database, deaths involving firearms were:
I. Leading Methods of Suicide
 
  Method of Death Number
of Deaths		 % of Total
Suicides*
  All Suicides 649,843 100%
1 Firearm 336,579 51.8%
2 Suffocation 152,684 23.5%
3 Poisoning 109,593 16.9%
4 Fall 14,247 2.2%
5 Cut or Pierce 11,327 1.7%
6 Other, Classifiable 7,002 1.1%
7 Drowning 6,944 1.1%
8 Other, Not Classifiable 3,652 0.6%
9 Fire or Burn 2,971 0.5%
10 Unspecified 2,465 0.4%
11 Transportation 2,356 0.4%
12 Struck by or Against 23 0.0%

*Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth (one decimal) so the percentages may not add up to 100%.
 
II. Leading Methods of Homicide
 
  Method of Death Number
of Deaths		 % of Total
Homicides*
  All Homicides 314,705 100%
1 Firearm 213,175 67.7%
2 Cut or Pierce 34,086 10.8%
3 Unspecified 29,917 9.5%
4 Suffocation 10,729 3.4%
5 Other, Not Classifiable 10,238 3.3%
6 Other, Classifiable 4,011 1.3%
7 Transportation 3,942 1.3%
8 Struck by or Against 3,555 1.1%
9 Fire or Burn 2,280 0.7%
10 Poisoning 1,631 0.5%
11 Drowning 899 0.3%
12 Fall 242 0.1%

*Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth (one decimal) so the percentages may not add up to 100%.
 
III. Leading Causes of Unintentional Death
 
  Cause of Death Number
of Deaths		 % of Total
Deaths*
  All Deaths 2,177,884 100%
1 Car Traffic 702,925 32.3%
2 Poisoning 533,196 24.5%
3 Fall 418,177 19.2%
4 Unspecified 112,793 5.2%
5 Suffocation 108,916 5.0%
6 Drowning 63,096 2.9%
7 Fire or Burn 55,397 2.5%
8 Natural Environment 29,203 1.3%
9 Other Land Transportation Accident 25,314 1.2%
10 Other, Classifiable 24,951 1.1%
11 Pedestrian 19,757 0.9%
12 Other Transport 19,661 0.9%
13 Other, Non Classifiable 19,405 0.9%
14 Struck by or Against 15,346 0.7%
15 Machinery 11,668 0.5%
16 Firearm 11,428 0.5%
17 Cyclist 4,481 0.2%
18 Cut or Pierce 1,963 0.1%
19 Overexertion 207 0.0%

*Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth (one decimal) so the percentages may not add up to 100%.

Source: CDC, WISQARS Database, cdc.gov (accessed July 17, 2018)

 
 
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