Since 2017, suicide has been the leading cause of death among active-duty troops.Last year, more than 320 active-duty military members died by suicide, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. About 230 service members were killed in accidents, 160 succumbed to illness and two were killed in hostile action.A new report from the Pentagon shows that the overall military suicide rate is declining, but it's still higher now than it was a decade ago. Since 2011, the active-duty military suicide rate has increased by about a third. In 2024 — the latest year for which the Annual Report on Suicide in the Military has been released — about 22 people died by suicide for every 100,000 active-duty service members, a 16% decrease from the year before. The rise in the military suicide rate generally matches an overall rise in the suicide rate for all Americans. But before the early 2000s, military members had a lower suicide risk than members of the general population, experts say."It hasn't always been a higher risk threat than the civilian population, but there are a number of things when you start digging in that make that population particularly vulnerable," said Keith Hotle, CEO of Stop Soldier Suicide, a nonprofit focused on preventing suicide among U.S. veterans and service members.Some of those factors, Hotle said, include that it's a high-stress job in which service members often have to move away from their support systems.The composition of the military also matches groups most prone to suicide.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80% of suicides in the U.S. are carried out by men. Men make up 83% of the military. In 2024, 94% of the active-duty service members who died by suicide were men. Most were in their 20s.Across the branches, members of the Army and Marine Corps had a higher suicide rate than the Air Force and Navy. Investment in resourcesThere are far more resources available for military service members struggling with suicidal thoughts than there were at the turn of the century. The Pentagon has requested $583 million in suicide prevention resources for the next fiscal year, a 7% increase from the prior year.But some experts say stigma still exists, which can limit access to care."We're headed in the right direction, but it's still stigmatized generally," said Thomas Joiner, a professor at Florida State University who specializes in issues related to suicide and has worked with the military on suicide prevention.And the risk of suicide does not go away when service members retire. Veterans face a 58% higher suicide risk than the general U.S. population, data shows. If you or someone you know needs immediate support, call or text 988 to confidentially reach a trained crisis worker 24/7 at no cost or visit 988lifeline.org to chat online with a counselor. Anyone experiencing an immediate emergency should dial 911. Veterans and active-duty service members can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 then pressing 1.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=