- From 2018–2022, suicide was the leading cause of death for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders ages 10–14 and the second leading cause of death for those ages 15–34.1
- In 2023, though non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students in grades 9–12 were less likely to report seriously considering attempting suicide than their non-Hispanic white peers,2 they were nearly two times more likely to actually attempt suicide than non-Hispanic white students.3
- In 2022, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults were 20% more likely to have regularly had feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety than non-Hispanic white adults.4
- In 2019, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were 70% less likely to receive mental health services or receive prescription medications for mental health treatment than non-Hispanic whites.5
Mental Health Status
| Serious psychological distress in the past year among persons age 18 years and over, percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 14.0 | 14.2 | 1.0 |
| Adults age 18 and over who regularly had feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety, percentage, 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 16.9 | 14.1 | 1.2 |
| Serious psychological distress among persons age 18 and over, percentage, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Total | -- | 3.7 | -- |
| Major depressive episode in the past year among persons age 18 and over, percentage, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 4.3 | 9.1 | 0.5 |
| Any mental illness in the past year among persons age 18 and over, percentage, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 16.1 | 24.3 | 0.7 |
Death Rates
| Age-adjusted death rates for suicide by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 20.5 | 30.0 | 0.7 |
| Female | -- | 7.5 | -- |
| Total | 13.1 | 18.6 | 0.7 |
| Suicide rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin, 2019: Males | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Males | Non-Hispanic White Males | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| 15–24 years | -- | 25.6 | -- |
| 25–44 years | 42.5 | 36.0 | 1.2 |
| 45–64 years | -- | 38.3 | -- |
| 65 years and over | -- | 37.6 | -- |
| All ages, age adjusted | 22.1 | 28.0 | 0.8 |
| Suicide rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin, 2019: Females | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Females | Non-Hispanic White Females | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| 15–24 years | -- | 6.1 | -- |
| 25–44 years | -- | 9.8 | -- |
| 45–64 years | -- | 12.6 | -- |
| 65 years and over | -- | 6.2 | -- |
| All ages, age adjusted | -- | 7.7 | -- |
Adolescents
| Death rates for suicide: ages 15–19, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | -- | 17.7 | -- |
| Female | 14.1 | 5.0 | 2.8 |
| Both Sexes | 6.9 | 11.6 | 0.6 |
| Students in grades 9–12 who seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months, percentage, 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 8.4 | 16.0 | 0.5 |
| Female | 21.4 | 28.5 | 0.8 |
| Total | 16.1 | 22.1 | 0.7 |
| Students in grades 9–12 who attempted suicide in the past 12 months, percentage, 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 7.1 | 5.7 | 1.2 |
| Female | 19.5 | 10.9 | 1.8 |
| Total | 15.3 | 8.3 | 1.8 |
Access to Health Care
| Adults age 18 and over who received mental health services in the past year, percentage, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 6.1 | 19.8 | 0.3 |
| Adults age 18 and over who received prescription medication as a type of mental health service in the past year, percentage, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 5.2 | 16.6 | 0.3 |
| Adults age 18 and over with a major depressive episode in the past year who received treatment for depression, percentage, 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| -- | 68.4 | -- |
1 CDC. WISQARS. Leading Causes of Death. (Back to topk)
2 CDC, 2024. High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. High School Students Who Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide, 2023. (Back to top)
3 CDC, 2024. High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. High School Students Who Actually Attempted Suicide, 2023. (Back to top)
4 CDC. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of regularly had feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2022. (Back to top)
5 SAMHSA, 2022. Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 8.17B. (Back to top)