CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The child death rate in North Carolina has risen for another year, largely due to a dramatic increase in suicides and homicides, according to a report from the NC Child Fatality Task force.
The task force’s most recent report, which analyzes data from 2021, found that homicide — overwhelmingly carried out with a gun — was the leading cause of death for children 15 to 17 years old. Homicide was the fifth leading cause of death for children overall.
In 2021, North Carolina also saw the highest suicide rate in two decades, leaving 62 children dead that year. A 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey showed 22% of North Carolina high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide.
