Suicide Statistics for Indigenous People

Statistics are excerpted from Suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC), and are based on a National Household Survey of Aboriginal Peoples.

First Nations People

  • There were an estimated 851,280 First Nations people in 2011. An estimated 1180 people died by suicide between 2011 and 2016. This resulted in a suicide rate of 24.3 deaths per 100,000 person-years at risk, which was three times higher than the suicide rate among non-Indigenous people (8.0).
  • Suicide rates were highest for First Nations youth aged 15 to 24.
  • Sixty percent of First Nations bands experienced no suicides between 2011 and 2016. In British Columbia, 78% of First Nations bands experienced no suicides during this same period.

Métis People

  • In 2011, there were 452,985 self-identifying Métis persons. Approximately 415 individuals died by suicide between 2011 and 2016. The suicide rate was 14.7 deaths per 100,000 person-years at risk, which was almost twice as high as the rate for non-Indigenous people (8.0).
  • Among Métis adults over 25, the risk of suicide was also twice as high as that among non-Indigenous adults.

Inuit People

  •  In 2011, there were approximately 59,220 Inuit in Canada. Among them, there were an estimated 250 death by suicide between 2011 and 2016. This led to a suicide rate of 72.3 death per 100,000 person-years at risk, which is nine times higher than the rate among non-Indigenous people (8.0).
  • The highest suicide rate was seen among Inuit males between 15 and 24 years of age living in Inuit Nunangat.
  • Among 50 Inuit communities, 11 communities had a suicide rate of zero.

Suicide Statistics

First Nations Health Authority - Hope, Help, and Healing: A Planning Toolkit for First Nations and Aboriginal Communities to Prevent and Respond to Suicide (2015)