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The number of older adults (OAs) is growing rapidly and the elderly suicide rate (ESR) is highest among all age-groups in China. Examining the epidemiology of elderly suicide (ES) may facilitate population-specific suicide prevention efforts, however, little is known about the patterns of ES in China.

To describe the rates and characteristics of ES in China during 2013-14.

Suicide mortality data by gender, quinquennial age-group, residence (urban/rural) and geographic location (east/central/west) were obtained from China's Integrated National Mortality Surveillance System for 2013–14. Crude ESRs of OAs aged 65 years or above were standardized to the 2010 China’s Census population and adjusted for under-reporting.

While OAs comprised 8.9% of the Chinese population, they represented 38.2% of suicide deaths. The average annual ESR in China was 34.5 per 100000 in …