BEIJING - About 287,000 people commit suicide each year in China, resulting in 3.6 percent of the country's annual deaths, the latest official statistics show.

Seventy-five percent of suicide cases occurred in rural areas, three times number of suicides committed in cities, according to statistics posted on the website of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"China's suicide rate reflects a trend different from other countries," said an article posted on the website.

The number of suicides is 25 percent higher for females than males in China, but in developed countries male suicide rates are three times higher than female suicide rates, said the article.

A survey jointly conducted by the Chinese CDC and the Beijing-based Huilongguan Hospital ranks suicide as the fifth leading cause of death overall and the leading cause of death for people aged 15 and 34 in China.

About two million Chinese citizens attempt suicide each year, and the figure has increased by 60 percent in the past 50 years, according to the CDC.

Saturday is the 9th World Suicide Prevention Day. The theme for 2011 is "Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies".