How Many Navy SEALs Die A Year? (13 Shocking Death Statistics)

How many Navy SEALs die a year?

In this article, you’ll learn about:

how many Navy SEALs die a year
their deaths per year, war, and training
their life expectancy
their average age

Let’s dig in.

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Navy SEAL Death Rate Statistics

587 Navy SEALs died between 2000 and 2020
27.9 Navy SEALs die per year, on average
Navy SEALs have a long-term survival rate of 90-95%
Navy SEALs have a mortality rate of less than 1% in combat zones
combat related deaths are the most common cause at 48%
training related deaths are the 2nd most common cause at 25%
non-combat related deaths are the 3rd most common cause at 14%
3% of Navy SEALs die from suicide
3,629 Navy SEALs have been wounded in action since 2000
181 Navy SEALs are wounded in action each year, on average
8 Navy SEALs have received the Medal of Honor since 2000
56 Navy SEALs have received the Silver Star since 2000
621 Navy SEALs have received the Bronze Star since 2000

How Many Navy SEALs Die A Year?

The average number of Navy SEAL deaths per year between 2000 and 2020 was 29.5.

Note that it’s hard to know how many Navy SEALs die per year.

The US Government does not report Navy SEAL deaths because:

they want it to be classified
it’s a specialized branch of the military
families want this to be private

The data we have pulled is from various sources like:

the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS)

How Many Navy SEALs Are There?

There are approximately 8,000 active-duty Navy SEALs.

And there are an additional 1,000 in the Navy Reserve.

Navy SEAL Deaths By Year

Here are the overall Navy SEAL deaths by year from 2000 – 2020.

Year	Total Number of Deaths
2000	25
2001	31
2002	31
2003	26
2004	22
2005	37
2006	32
2007	39
2008	32
2009	31
2010	24
2011	21
2012	20
2013	25
2014	24
2015	27
2016	27
2017	27
2018	27
2019	26
2020	33

Navy SEAL Deaths By War

War in Afghanistan (2001-present): 244 Navy SEAL deaths.
Iraq War (2003-2011): 166 Navy SEAL deaths.
War in Iraq/Syria (2014-present): 8 Navy SEAL deaths.
War in Yemen (2015-present): 1 Navy SEAL death.
Other conflicts (2000-present): 171 Navy SEAL deaths.

Navy SEAL Training Deaths By Year

Here are the Navy SEAL training deaths by year from 2000 – 2020.

Year	Navy SEAL Training Deaths By Year
2000	6
2001	10
2002	13
2003	8
2004	11
2005	8
2006	5
2007	6
2008	5
2009	9
2010	4
2011	8
2012	9
2013	9
2014	5
2015	6
2016	3
2017	9
2018	6
2019	4
2020	3

How Many Navy SEALs Have Died?

The total number of Navy SEAL deaths between 2000 and 2020 was 590.

combat-related (48%)
training-related (25%)
non-combat injury (14%)
illness (7%)
suicide (3%)
accidents (3%)

Examples of accidents involving Navy SEALs between 2000 and 2020 include:

helicopter crash in Afghanistan, 2011
aircraft crash in Iraq, 2005
vehicle rollover in Iraq, 2007
training exercise drowning in California, 2009
helicopter crash near Virginia Beach, 2012
motorcycle accident in California, 2016
parachute malfunction during training in Arizona, 2017
boating accident in Florida, 2020

How Many Navy SEALs Have Died In Combat?

The total number of Navy SEALs that have died in combat between 2000 and 2020 is 282.

That’s 14.1 Navy SEAL deaths from combat per year.

How Many Navy SEALs Have Died In Training?

The total number of Navy SEALs that have died in training between 2000 and 2020 is 146.8.

That’s 7.3 Navy SEAL training deaths from combat per year.

What Percentage Of Navy SEALs Died In Training?

25% of Navy SEALs have died in training.

Causes of death in training for Navy SEALs between 2000 and 2020 include:

over-exertion or dehydration: 17%
drowning or submersion: 10%
hypothermia: 7%
parachuting or skydiving accident: 6%
firearm accident: 3%
high-altitude or low-pressure chamber accident: 2%
helicopter crash: 2%
vehicle crash: 2%
structural collapse: 1%

FAQs About How Many Navy SEALs Die A Year

Here are other questions we found when researching how many Navy SEALs die per year.

How Many Navy SEALs Died In Afghanistan?

244 Navy SEALs died while serving in Afghanistan between 2000 and 2020.

What Is The Life Expectancy Of A Navy SEAL?

The life expectancy of a Navy SEAL is 45-50 years old.

This is based on a study of the active-duty SEAL population.

Has A Navy SEAL Ever Been Captured?

No, no Navy SEAL has ever been captured while in the line of duty.

Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts of Woodland, California was killed in action.

He was not captured and held.

What Is The Average Age Of A Navy SEAL?

The average age of a Navy SEAL is 34.

The average age of Navy SEALs in training is between 25 and 30 years old.

How Many Navy SEALs Have Died From Shark Attacks?

No Navy SEALs have died from shark attacks.

There have not been any reports of a Navy SEAL dying from a shark attack.

How Long Is Navy SEALs Training

Navy SEALs training typically lasts around 24 months.

(Only 30% – 40% of the people make it through.)

This includes 6 months of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training.

And that is followed by 18 months of specialized training.

Examples of specialized training for Navy SEALs include:

special weapons and tactics
parachuting, survival techniques
reconnaissance
small boat operations
navigation
demolitions
close-quarters combat
foreign language training

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