October 29th is the traditional Chinese festival of Double Ninth Festival, also known as the “Seniors’ Day” or “Respect for the Elderly Day”. However, in rural China, many elderly people are facing increasing suicide rates due to difficulties in survival and lack of support, and in some areas, it is even becoming normalized for elderly people in rural areas to take their own lives.
On the day of Double Ninth Festival, a netizen from Hubei province shared a video saying that their mother had passed away, their room covered in dust, and the yard overgrown with moss. They sadly mentioned, “Auntie also took poison yesterday, the pesticide called Zhuangsu. The elderly all seem to think of taking this path, as if it is the destiny of rural elderly people.”
Another netizen from Hubei also stated, “Most of the elderly people in our village have passed away by taking poison. They consider this to be normal, a sign of understanding life.” The netizen listed a series of elders who died by poisoning, including their grandmother, cousin’s grandfather, neighbors’ grandmothers, and many more.
In the comment section, many netizens shared stories of elderly suicides in their rural hometowns, reflecting a bleak reality for elderly in Chinese rural areas.
According to the coordinates of the netizens, this phenomenon is occurring in provinces like Hubei, Guizhou, Henan, Shandong, Hunan, Jiangsu, etc., highlighting the harsh reality of late life for elderly in Chinese countryside. Netizens lamented, “This is the final path for the elderly.”
In 2014, Liu Yanwu, a lecturer from the Sociology Department of Wuhan University, led a team on a six-year investigation in over 40 villages in provinces such as Hubei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanxi, Henan, Guizhou, and more, publishing a report titled “A Sociological Study on Elderly Suicide in Rural Areas”.
The study showed that the phenomenon of elderly suicide in rural China has become “shockingly severe”. Since 1990, the suicide rate among elderly in rural China has significantly increased and remained high.
Statistics indicate that a significant percentage, at least 30% conservatively estimated, of elderly deaths in villages are due to suicide. The main reasons for elderly suicide in rural areas include difficulties in survival, chronic illnesses, lack of family support, and unfilial children.
According to the latest statistics from the China International Statistical Bureau, by the end of 2024, the population of elderly aged 60 and above in China has reached 310 million, accounting for 22.0% of the total population.
Among the elderly who committed suicide in rural areas, over 60% are concentrated in the age group of 70 years and above.
A Chinese scholar, specializing in the study of China’s aging society, anonymously told Radio Free Asia that the issue of elderly suicide in rural areas is like an elephant in the room, known to everyone but rarely discussed openly. The Chinese government currently emphasizes building a moderately prosperous society, and “exposing this information doesn’t paint a good picture for the government.”
Some netizens pointed out that the root cause is financial hardship, noting that retirees with a modest pension of a few thousand yuan are content, and having a pension of seven to eight thousand yuan brings great satisfaction among siblings. They also noted the difference in care for elderly in urban areas, challenging the notion that it is solely because of children’s filial piety, suggesting that stopping subsidies for children would reveal the true support system for the elderly.