Egypt's police have rescued a young man during an attempted suicide in the River Nile, the interior ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

An 18-year-old high school student suffering "psychological distress" jumped into the river to take his own life, but forces securing the Nile saw him and rushed to pull him out of the water before he drowned, the ministry said.

The young man is now in "good condition," it added.

The World Health Organisation lists Egypt among countries with the lowest suicide rates, with 7.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2016. Egypt has a population of around 100 million.

In 2014, 88 people committed suicide, most of whom are males, WHO said.

In the capital Cairo, suicides on the  underground Metro system is are not uncommon, with many incidents reported over the past year.