Suicide: the taboo that’s killing Hong Kong’s elderly
Study shows over-65s are twice as likely to take their lives compared to people in other age groups.
The suicide rate of people over 65 in Hong Kong is almost double that of any other age group, and with a rapidly ageing population, prevention authorities face an uphill struggle.
The rate - according to the most up to date figures available - was more or less unchanged from 2011, but experts warn that as Hong Kong's elderly population surges, so too could the number of suicides.
The number of people over 65 is expected to more than double to 2.6 million by 2041, up from the current one million, according to government estimates.
"We have a challenge because Hong Kong is an ageing society," warned Dr Frances Law Yik-wa, of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong. "The efforts we are now putting in might just keep the balance."
Experts say that a cultural taboo around death and suicide is a barrier to combating the problem, and that the city's cramped living quarters make some elderly people feel they are crowding their family.