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What are the most recent suicide rates among transgender people in the U.S. and globally (2020–2025)?
Executive summary
Recent reporting and peer‑reviewed studies show high rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts among transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people, especially youth: surveys report past‑year attempt rates around 4.2% in one community study (Canada) and past‑year ideation or attempts much higher among U.S. TNB youth (e.g., 12% of LGBTQ youth attempted suicide in the past year with higher rates for TNB youth) [1] [2]. Lifetime estimates of attempted suicide in many studies cluster broadly between about one‑third and one‑half of respondents (roughly 32–50%) [3] [4] [5].
1. Why “rates” look so different depending on the source
Studies measure different things: lifetime attempts versus past‑year attempts, suicidal ideation versus fatal suicide, youth versus adults, convenience samples versus population surveys, and clinical cohorts versus community samples. For example, a Canada community survey found 30% past‑year suicidal ideation and 4.2% past‑year attempts (age‑varying) [1], while the U.S. national TransPop probability survey and other U.S. reports emphasize lifetime disparities (e.g., “more than 40%” lifetime attempts in some U.S. datasets) [1] [5]. Literature reviews report a wide historical range (attempt rates from ~32% up to 50% in different studies) because of those methodological differences [3].
2. United States: recent national and state‑level patterns
U.S. national surveys and major LGBTQ organizations indicate elevated suicidality among transgender youth and adults. The Trevor Project’s 2024 national youth survey reported that 12% of LGBTQ young people attempted suicide in the past year and that transgender and nonbinary youth reported higher attempt and ideation rates than the broader LGBTQ sample; state‑level Trevor Project analysis also linked passage of anti‑trans laws with increases in past‑year attempts (reported increases up to 72% in some analyses) [2] [6]. The Williams Institute reported that “more than 40%” of transgender adults have ever attempted suicide in some samples, highlighting large lifetime disparities versus cisgender populations [5].
3. Global studies and meta‑analyses: pooled and country cohort evidence
Global systematic reviews and country cohorts confirm elevated risk worldwide but vary in magnitude. A 2023 meta‑analysis sought a pooled prevalence of thoughts and attempts across studies up to 2022, underscoring high and heterogeneous rates in the global literature [7]. National cohort studies from Denmark and long‑term clinic cohorts (Amsterdam, Sweden) found higher attempted‑suicide and suicide death risks among people identified as transgender versus matched general populations, though absolute numbers of suicide deaths in these cohorts were small and estimates vary [8] [9] [10].
4. What recent peer‑reviewed papers add (2023–2025)
Recent, larger or population‑linked studies refine estimates: a 2025 intersectional analysis using Trans PULSE Canada data reported 30% past‑year ideation and 4.2% past‑year attempts, with younger people experiencing the highest rates [1]. A Danish nationwide cohort (1980–2021) reported higher rates of attempts and suicide deaths among those recorded as transgender, estimating several‑fold increased relative risks though absolute counts remained relatively small [11] [8]. These studies emphasize both high relative risk and the importance of age, social context and access to care [1] [8].
5. Drivers, policy links and contested interpretations
Researchers point to minority stress, discrimination and policy environments as drivers. The Trevor Project study linked state anti‑trans laws to subsequent increases in past‑year suicide attempts among TNB youth [6]. WHO and other public‑health sources list discrimination against LGBTI people as a risk factor for suicide [12]. Critics and some commentators dispute magnitude interpretations and urge caution about conflating lifetime “attempted suicide” percentages from convenience samples with population suicide‑death rates; for instance, commentators have contested how some high percentages are presented in media and journal contexts [13] [14].
6. What is not in the reporting or remains unresolved
Available sources do not provide a single, authoritative U.S. or global “suicide death rate” (deaths per 100,000) specifically for all transgender people across 2020–2025; structured, population‑level suicide‑death rates for transgender populations remain limited and vary by study design and country [9] [7]. Nor do the sources converge on a single up‑to‑date global pooled percentage for 2020–2025; meta‑analyses and cohort studies give ranges and relative risks rather than a universal rate [7] [8].
7. Bottom line for readers
Multiple recent peer‑reviewed studies and major surveys consistently show markedly elevated suicidal ideation and attempts among transgender and nonbinary people, with past‑year attempts in some community and youth samples ranging from a few percent (4.2% in Trans PULSE Canada past‑year attempts) to double‑digit past‑year figures in youth survey aggregates, and lifetime attempt estimates commonly reported in the ~32–50% range in many studies [1] [2] [3] [5]. Differences in measurement, sampling and context explain much of the variation; data gaps remain for definitive, population‑level suicide‑death rates for transgender people across 2020–2025 [9] [7].