6,488 VETERAN SUICIDES IN 2024: 62% WERE OUTSIDE VA CARE
By VA Headlines · Published Nov 3, 2026 · Source dated September 30, 2026 (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
If you are a veteran in crisis, or worried about one: call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net. It is free, confidential and open 24/7, and you do not need to be enrolled in VA care.
The Department of Veterans Affairs counted 6,488 suicides among veterans in 2024, an average of 17.7 a day, according to its 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, released September 30, 2026. That is 174 fewer than the 6,662 VA reported for 2023.
Veteran suicide in 2024, by the numbers
According to VA's report and news release:
6,488 veteran suicides in 2024, about 17.7 per day.
159,980 veteran suicides over the 24 years from 2001 through 2024.
Suicide was the 11th-leading cause of death among veterans in 2024, and the fourth-leading cause of premature death.
62% of veterans who died by suicide in 2024 were not receiving VA health care in the year they died or the year before.
Firearms were involved in 74.3% of veteran suicide deaths.
After adjusting for age, the suicide rate for female veterans was 99.9% higher than for female non-veteran adults. For male veterans it was 56.5% higher than for male non-veterans.
The gap: veterans inside and outside VA care
The report's sharpest finding is the split between veterans who use VA health care and those who don't:
From 2001 to 2024, suicide rates for veterans enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) fell 2.2%, while rates for unenrolled veterans rose 70.8%.
From 2023 to 2024 alone, rates fell 4.8% for VHA enrollees and rose 3.7% for unenrolled veterans.
The share of veterans enrolled in VHA grew from 19.5% to 50.1% over the same period.
The figures don't say why the gap exists. They do show where most of the deaths happen: among veterans VA isn't seeing.
What VA says it is doing
VA calls suicide prevention its top clinical priority. It says all VA facilities offer same-day emergency mental health care. Its news release also lists:
The Veterans Crisis Line answered more than 1.3 million calls, chats and texts in fiscal year 2026, up more than 7% from the year before.
More than 5.5 million suicide risk screenings were done through August 2026.
An outreach campaign has enrolled more than 280,000 new veterans in VA health care in 2026.
Under the COMPACT Act, eligible veterans can get emergency suicide care at any emergency room at no cost. Almost 50,000 veterans have used that benefit since 2023.
The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program recently awarded $112 million to 191 community groups.
These are VA's own figures, as stated in the release.
Why this matters for VA accountability
A report like this gives VA's own baseline. VA Headlines tracks the official records that test whether care is reaching veterans in time: OIG hospital inspections, wait-time findings and whistleblower cases. One is the Truman VA psychiatric unit admissions case in Columbia, Missouri, closed by the Office of Special Counsel on November 2, 2026.
Related: VA OIG hospital inspections 2026. Phoenix VA lab results backlog: OSC whistleblower case. More: all VA Headlines reports. How we report: Methodology & Corrections.
2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (data through 2024) · released September 30, 2026
Read the full VA report (PDF)
VA Press Room
VA releases annual Veteran suicide prevention report, updated with 2024 data · September 30, 2026
Read the VA news release
If you are a veteran in crisis, or worried about one, call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat at veteranscrisisline.net. VA Headlines reports only what official records say. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.