Hong Kong's present population is estimated at about 5.5 million; the number of
people aged 60 and over is estimated to be 640,000 in mid-1986 (11.5% of the
population). Industrialization and urbanization have been increasing rapidly over
the past 30 years. Although responsible for Hong Kong's prosperity, they also have
their negative effects such as the rapid increase of suicide among older persons. The
results of a study examining the sociodemographic aspects of elderly suicide in
Hong Kong from 1983 to 1986 are presented here. I used a secondary data analysis
approach to trace back all reported elderly suicide cases within those years. After
analysis, seven major recommendations are suggested to intervene and prevent
future suicides of the elderly in Hong Kong.
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