Demographics
- 3.7 million individuals in the U.S. identify solely as American Indian/Alaska Natives, with an additional 5.9 million identifying as a combination of American Indian/Alaska Native and another race.
- In the U.S., there are 574 federally recognized Native tribes and approximately 167 Indigenous languages spoken today.
- Most Native/Indigenous people in the U.S. live in Midwest or Western states. About 87% do not live on reservations, while 13% do live on reservations.
- More than twice as many Native/Indigenous people (24.3%) in America live in poverty compared to the total U.S. population (11.6%). As of 2022, the unemployment rate of American Indians and Alaska Natives was 11.1%. This is much higher than the overall U.S. total of 4%.
Prevalence
The suicide rate for AI/AN individuals is higher than all other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
- 19.6% of Native American and Alaskan Native adults experienced any mental illness within the past year
- 7.3% of Native American and Alaskan Native adults experienced a serious mental illness within the past year
- 9.7% of Native American and Alaskan Native adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder in addition to a mental health condition
- 11.6% of Native American and Alaskan Native adults received mental health treatment with the past year
- 19.7% of native American and Alaskan Native adults report experiencing serious psychological distress
- 8.5% of Indigenous adults had serious thoughts of suicide within the past year, compared to 4.8% of the overall U.S. population
- 8.3% of Indigenous adults reported heavy alcohol use in the past month
According to the AAKOMA Project:
- 18.8% of Native American youth reported exposure to racial trauma often or very often in their lifetime
- 22.6% of Native American youth reported that they lost someone they care about due to COVID-19
Take a mental health test
If you or a friend are struggling with your mental health, take an anonymous, free, and private mental health test. It only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished, you will be given information about the next steps you can take based on the results.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
