Objective: The aims of this paper are (i) to describe the speci®c
characteristics of suicide in China and compare it with that in a western
country, Denmark; and (ii) to discuss the accuracy of suicide data and
the possible explanations for suicide behaviour in China.
Method: Data for the study are obtained from the World Health
Statistics Annual based on of®cial records in China and the Danish
Cause-of-Death Register, and standardized according to the agespeci®ed
population of China in 1990.
Results: The speci®c characteristics of suicide in China differed strikingly
from the general pattern of suicide in other western countries as well as in
Denmark: suicide rates in females were higher than in males; rural rates
were more than three times higher than urban rates; suicide rates peaked
for those aged 75+ years, but with a minor peak in females for those
aged 15±24 years old.
Conclusion: These speci®c characteristics of suicide in China may
possibly be interpreted in terms of traditional culture, social forces,
political environment and economic status.