Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the correlation between health status, health-promoting behavior, self-esteem and suicidal ideation among the elderly. Method: Subjects consisted of 115 elderly persons. Data were collected from January to March 2013, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: The mean scores for health status ($2.41{\pm}.68$), health-promoting behavior ($2.38{\pm}.43$), and self-esteem ($2.87{\pm}.69$) among the elderly fell in the average range, whereas scores for suicidal ideation ($.48{\pm}.36$) among the elderly fell in the below average range. Health status differed significantly according to age, educational level and economic status. Health-promoting behavior did not differ significantly based on these general characteristics. Self-esteem differed significantly according to age, job, and number of people living in the household. Suicidal ideation differed significantly based on age, educational level, and economic status. Significant correlations were found between health status, health-promoting behavior, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. Conclusion: These findings indicate that perceived health status, health-promoting behavior, and self-esteem may be factors that need to be considered in order to decrease the prevalence of suicidal ideation among the elderly. These results can be used to develop a suicide prevention program for the elderly.