Over one-fifth of Chinese population older than 60, says official report

BEIJING -- China's population aged 60 and above reached nearly 297 million in 2023, accounting for 21.1 percent of the total, as the country works to tackle the challenges of an aging society, according to an official report released Friday.

Released jointly by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and China National Committee on Ageing, the report on the development of the country's work on aging in 2023 stated that the number of people aged 65 and above reached 216.76 million, accounting for 15.4 percent of the total population.

The report shows that China's pension insurance coverage has continued to expand. As of the end of 2023, the number of people participating in basic pension insurance nationwide reached 1.066 billion, an increase of 13.36 million compared to the end of the previous year.

The report noted that China has been enhancing urban living circles and expanding home-based care services for seniors. By the end of 2023, 3,476 convenient living circles were established across 150 pilot areas, serving approximately 64.55 million elderly residents.

As of the end of 2023, China boasted 7,881 integrated medical and elderly care institutions, an increase of 12.8 percent year on year, according to the report.

Like many countries, China is experiencing a demographic shift with an aging population as it grows wealthier. The Chinese government is sparing no effort to address this challenge, promoting the development of the silver economy while introducing major policies to improve services for senior citizens and boost the birth rate.

In August, the State Council issued a guideline setting out 20 key tasks to advance the high-quality development of service consumption. This included detailed measures for developing the silver economy and boosting consumption in the childcare sectors.