Suicide, self-harm, and suicide-related behaviours in Canada: Key statistics

On this page

• Highlights
• Context
• Latest statistics
• Acknowledgement
• Suggested citation

Highlights

Context

Reducing suicide and supporting mental well-being are key priorities under Canada’s National Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024–2027 (the Action Plan), which guides prevention efforts across the country. In support of the Action Plan, the Public Health Agency of Canada monitors progress and shares up-to-date suicide statistics with stakeholders and the public through tools such as this interactive report and the Suicide Surveillance Indicator Framework (SSIF) data tool included within it.

This interactive report is organized to help users find information at different levels:

• This landing page provides an overall picture of suicide in Canada, with key highlights and summary statistics.
• The other tabs present more details on specific suicide-related outcomes, including mortality, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
• The SSIF Data tool tab allows users to explore the data in more detail, across multiple indicators and for various population groups.

Latest statistics

When people think about suicide, they often think about deaths. However, suicide deaths are only one part of the picture. Many more people in Canada experience suicidal thoughts, make plans, or attempt suicide each year.

Every year in Canada, there are approximately:

Notes

These statistics come from multiple sources:

• Data on the number of deaths by suicide is from the Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database and from data obtained directly from the Offices of the Chief Coroner and Chief Medical Examiner for some provinces and territories. For more information, see the technical notes on Suicide Mortality.
• Data on the number of self-harm hospitalizations is from the Canadian Institute of Health Information. It includes self-harm hospitalizations for people aged 10 years and older from all provinces and territories.
• Self-reported data on suicide attempts, suicide plans, and thoughts of suicide is from the Canadian Community Health Surveys. It includes data for people aged 15 years and older from all provinces and territories.

Learn more:

• Canadian Community Health Survey: Annual component
• Self-harm hospitalizations (Canadian Institute for Health Information)

Figure: Text description

Every year in Canada, there are approximately:

• 4,750 deaths by suicide (this corresponds to 13 deaths by suicide every day)
• 20,000 hospitalizations due to self-harm, including suicide attempts (this corresponds to 55 hospitalizations per day)
• 100,000 people who report having made a suicide attempt (this corresponds to more than 250 people who attempted suicide per day)
• 250,000 people who made suicide plans (this corresponds to almost 700 people who made suicide plans per day)
• 840,000 people who had serious thoughts of suicide (this corresponds to 2,300 people who had thoughts of suicide per day)

Suicide is a significant public health issue in Canada

Monitoring suicide deaths helps us understand patterns and trends over time, identify groups at higher risk.

Intentional self-harm is closely linked to suicide risk

Self-harm includes both non-suicidal and suicidal harm, such as suicide attempts. While most people who self-harm do not die by suicide, self-harm is an important risk factor.

Suicide-related thoughts and behaviours provide additional insight into suicide risk

Thoughts of suicide, and suicide plans and attempts are more common than suicide deaths, and can have serious impacts on people and communities, including emotional distress, trauma, disruptions to family and community life, reduced participation in school and work, and increased demand for health and support services.

Suicide, self-harm and suicide-related behaviours among some populations, related risk factors and other key patterns

Click on the tiles to learn more.

References

Reference 1

Liu L, Contreras G, Thompson W. (2025). Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents in Canada based on the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth. Discover Public Health, 22, 826.

Return to reference 1 referrer

Reference 2

Toigo S, Pollock NJ, Liu L, Contreras G, McFaull SR, Thompson W. (2023). Fatal and non-fatal firearm-related injuries in Canada, 2016-2020: A population-based study with three administrative databases. Injury Epidemiology, 10.

Return to reference 2 referrer

Reference 3

Liu L, Batomen B, Pollock NJ, Contreras G, Sai Yi P, Jackson B, Thompson W. (2023). Suicidality and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth and adults in Canada: a cross-sectional, population-based study. BMC Public Health, 23(1): 1469.

Return to reference 3 referrer

Reference 4

Lau E, Plouffe R, Liu L, Contreras G, Johnson K, Thompson W, Gariépy G. (2026). Seasonal Variations in Suicide Mortality in Canada: A Nationwide Analysis from 2001-2015. Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Return to reference 4 referrer

Reference 5

Liu, L., Contreras, G. & Thompson, W. (2025). Repeat self-harm hospitalizations in Canada: a survival analysis. Injury Epidemiology, 12, 26.

Return to reference 5 referrer

Reference 6

Kumar MB, Tjepkema M. (2019). Suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC). Available from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/99-011-x/99-011-x2019001-eng.htm

Return to reference 6 referrer

Reference 7

Mahinpey N, Pollock NJ, Liu L, Contreras G, Thompson W. (2023). Self-harm and rurality in Canada: an analysis of hospitalization data from 2015 to 2019. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 58(8):1161-1170.

Return to reference 7 referrer

Reference 8

Turner SE, Lang JJ, Doan N, Varin M, Thompson W, Dopko RL (2025). Examining interactions between chronic pain, positive mental health and coping on past-year suicidal ideation in a Canadian sample. SSM - Mental Health, 7.

Return to reference 8 referrer

Are you looking for more statistics? Check out the Data tool or our other publications.

Acknowledgement

This report places an emphasis on data. As such, it can appear to depersonalise the pain and loss behind the statistics. It cannot adequately reflect the burden borne by people in Canada. PHAC acknowledges the individuals, families and, communities affected by suicide in Canada.

Suggested citation

Public Health Agency of Canada. Suicide, self-harm and suicide-related behaviours in Canada: .... Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada; ....