Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Sep-Oct;31(5):e3053.
doi: 10.1002/cpp.3053.

Suicide in China: The Trends and Differentials From 2002 to 2021

Fei-Hong Hu  1 , Peng Liu  1 , Yi-Jie Jia  1 , Meng-Wei Ge  1 , Lu-Ting Shen  1 , Xiao-Peng Xia  2 , Hong-Lin Chen  1
Affiliations

Suicide in China: The Trends and Differentials From 2002 to 2021

Fei-Hong Hu et al. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2024 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to provide an updated analysis of suicide characteristics in China from 2002 to 2021, with the aim of informing the development of evidence-based suicide prevention strategies.

Methods: The Ministry of Health-Vital Registration System (MOH-VR) provided the data on suicide mortality, which enabled us to examine the average annual percentage change (AAPC) in suicide rates using a Poisson regression model.

Results: Notably, there has been a significant decline in suicide rates observed in both urban and rural areas. In the early years of the study period, higher suicide rates were observed among females compared to males; however, a shift occurred after 2005, with male suicide rates surpassing those of females. Except for 2005, rural areas consistently exhibited higher suicide rates than urban areas. Furthermore, suicide rates exhibited an increasing trend with age, irrespective of gender or region.

Conclusion: These findings highlight a decreasing trend in suicide rates in China over the past two decades, although gender and regional disparities persist. Going forward, sustained efforts in suicide prevention, with a specific focus on mental health, are warranted.

Keywords: China; suicide; suicide differential; suicide trend.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bolton, J. M., D. Gunnell, and G. Turecki. 2015. “Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention in People With Mental Illness.” BMJ 351: h4978. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h4978.
    1. Cai, Z., M. Chen, P. Ye, and P. S. F. Yip. 2022. “Socio‐Economic Determinants of Suicide Rates in Transforming China: A Spatial‐Temporal Analysis From 1990 to 2015.” Lancet Regional Health West Pacific 19: 100341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100341.
    1. Chen, M., E. L. Rizzi, and P. S. F. Yip. 2021. “Divorce Trends in China Across Time and Space: An Update.” Asian Population Studies 17, no. 2: 121–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441730.2020.1858571.
    1. Conwell, Y. 2014. “Suicide Later in Life: Challenges and Priorities for Prevention.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 47, no. 3 Suppl 2: S244–S250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.040.
    1. de Santiago‐Díaz, A. I., S. Barrio‐Martínez, E. Gómez‐Ruiz, et al. 2024. “Effectiveness of Early and Intensive Intervention on Suicide Prevention: CARS Programme.” Psychiatry Research 338: 115964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115964.

LinkOut - more resources