HONG KONG, Sept. 8 -- The suicide rate in Hong Kong is estimated to be 8.9 per 100,000 people in 2016, according to the University of Hong Kong's Center for Suicide Research and Prevention, which released the figure on Friday.

Paul Yip, director of the center, said that the difference in overall suicide rate in Hong Kong between 2015 and 2016 is not very significant. But the figure saw an increase in last year's suicide rate of young people, which the society needs to pay attention to.

The center estimated that the suicide rate of young people aged 15 to 24 was about 8.9 per 100,000 in 2016, up from 8.4 per 100,000 in 2015.

Yip suggested that parents and teachers take the initiative to understand young people's feelings, and help them to learn how to resolve problems and handle stress in daily life.

He added that the suicide rates of old people remained higher than that of young people. He urged that the needs of old people should also be taken care of.

The center's figures also showed that for more than a decade since 2003, there has been a continuous downward trend in Hong Kong's suicide rate.