Based on the most recent VA data, the veteran suicide rate per 100,000 rose for both male and female veterans in 2023. The widely cited “22 a day” figure has been the reference point in public conversation for over a decade, but that number has a complicated history, and the actual picture is more nuanced than a single daily count suggests.
Where the “22 a Day” Number Came From
The figure traces back to a 2013 VA study that used death records from 21 states to estimate a national total for 2010. Researchers arrived at roughly 22 veteran suicides per day. The number stuck, becoming a rallying cry for advocacy groups, printed on T-shirts and bumper stickers, and repeated so often it became shorthand for the entire crisis.
But even at the time, the statistic was widely misunderstood. More than 91% of the nation’s roughly 22 million veterans were at least 35 years old, and the overwhelming majority never served in the post-9/11 era. People 50 and older accounted for 69% of veteran suicides, or more than 15 of those 22 per day. Many experts noted that the farther a veteran is from military service, the less likely their suicide is directly connected to their time in uniform. Older veterans often face the same drivers of suicide as civilians in the same age group: depression, chronic pain, isolation, and difficult life circumstances.
The original analysis also did not attempt to calculate how veteran suicide rates compared to rates among people who never served. That question is harder to answer than it sounds, largely because the government does not systematically track service members after they leave the military.
What the 2023 Data Shows
The VA’s most recent annual suicide prevention report, updated with 2023 data, confirmed that the suicide rate per 100,000 veterans increased for both men and women. Among women veterans, the rate rose from 13.7 to 13.9 per 100,000. For male veterans, rates also climbed. These increases mirror a broader national trend: CDC data shows that age-specific suicide rates for the general population were largely stable between 2022 and 2023, with men aged 25 to 44 dying by suicide at a rate of 29.8 per 100,000 and men 45 to 64 at 29.2 per 100,000.
The VA has updated its methodology significantly since the original 2013 estimate, incorporating data from all 50 states rather than just 21. More recent annual reports have placed the daily count at roughly 17 to 18 veteran suicides per day in prior years. While the precise 2023 daily figure depends on the final annual total divided by 365, the trajectory shows the crisis has not meaningfully improved.
Firearms Play a Central Role
In 2022, 74% of veteran suicides involved a firearm. That figure is far higher than in the general population. Among male veterans, firearms accounted for 74.8% of suicides compared to 57.4% among men who never served. The gap is even starker for women: 45.4% of female veteran suicides involved firearms versus 34.5% for non-veteran women. That translates to a firearm suicide rate among female veterans that is 144% higher than among civilian women.
This matters because access to lethal means during a moment of crisis is one of the strongest predictors of whether a suicide attempt ends in death. Firearms are the most lethal method, and veterans are more likely to own them, be trained in their use, and keep them accessible. Reducing access during vulnerable periods, sometimes called “lethal means safety,” has become a central focus of prevention efforts.
Who Is Most at Risk
The transition out of the military is a particularly vulnerable window. VA research on post-9/11 veterans found that men and women who served have 13% and 15% higher odds of experiencing suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives, respectively, compared to people who never served. However, the majority of veterans, about 90%, do not experience substantial suicidal ideation in the first three years after leaving the military.
The remaining 10% fall into three patterns: a “delayed onset” group (about 5%) whose suicidal thoughts start low and increase over time, a “remitting” group (about 3%) who struggle initially but improve, and a “chronic” group (roughly 2%) who experience persistent suicidal ideation throughout the post-service period. Younger veterans, racial and ethnic minorities, those who received other-than-honorable or medical discharges, and enlisted-rank service members all face higher odds of falling into one of these symptomatic groups. Officers and those who continued serving in the National Guard or Reserves had lower risk.
This research suggests that broad, population-level interventions matter but that the most intensive resources should be targeted toward the smaller group of veterans on a worsening trajectory.
What Prevention Looks Like Now
The Veterans Crisis Line, reachable by dialing 988 and pressing 1, has scaled up dramatically since adopting the simplified number in July 2022. In the two years following the launch, the line answered more than 1.6 million calls, a 22.7% increase in daily call volume. Texts rose 76.7% and chats increased 27.5% over the same period. The average call is answered in just over nine seconds. More than 1,000 responders staff the line, many of them veterans themselves.
The VA has also invested in predictive tools like REACH VET, which uses health records and algorithms to identify veterans at elevated risk and connect them with care coordinators before a crisis occurs. Cognitive behavioral therapy focused on suicide prevention and brief contact interventions, where clinicians follow up with simple check-ins after a crisis visit, have shown the most promising results in clinical research. The World Health Organization’s brief intervention and contact model, in particular, has been associated with significantly lower odds of death by suicide.
Despite these programs, the numbers have remained stubbornly high. The gap between veteran and civilian suicide rates persists, firearms remain deeply embedded in the problem, and the sheer scale of the veteran population means that even small rate changes translate into hundreds of lives. The crisis is real, ongoing, and not captured by any single daily number.