Because statistics on suicide are based mainly on death certificates and inquest reports, they almost certainly underestimate the true incidence. Even so, suicide is among the top 10 causes of death. Suicide accounts for 30 percent of the deaths among college students and for 10 percent of the deaths of people between ages 25 and 34. It is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. However, more than 70 percent of the people who commit suicide are over age 40, and the frequency rises sharply in those over age 60, particularly for men.
Suicide rates are higher in urban than in rural areas.
In contrast, suicide attempts are more common before middle age. Attempted suicide is particularly common among unmarried adolescent girls and unmarried men in their 30s. Although women attempt suicide three times more frequently than men, men complete suicide four times as often as women. Married men and women are less likely to attempt or complete suicide than separated, divorced, or widowed men and women who live alone. Suicides are more common among family members of those who have attempted or completed suicide.