BEIJING: China is a rapidly aging nation, with the number of people aged 60 and above reaching over 267 million, accounting for 18.9 percent of its population by the end of last year. This proportion is expected to exceed 30 percent by 2035.
Faced with this irreversible trend, China has seen remarkable progress in senior care over the past decade thanks to continuous efforts to improve relevant policies and systems and the implementation of concrete measures, the National Health Commission (NHC) said at a press conference on September 20.
Unstoppable trend
A population’s retirement peak must follow a population peak. According to Beta Data, a Shanghai-based digital technology service platform, China has had three waves of baby booms since 1949. The first wave occurred between 1949 and 1957, shortly after the People’s Republic of China was founded, as the country implemented a policy to encourage its population to have more children.
The second wave happened from 1962 to 1971. The country’s healthcare system improved rapidly during that time and people’s willingness to bear children increased accordingly. This baby boom was the largest to date.
The third wave lasted from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Though subjected to the family planning policy introduced in the late 1970s to tackle overpopulation, those born during the second wave had reached reproductive age, resulting in a relatively large population base.
In China, the retirement age is currently set at 60 for men, 55 or 60 for female white-collar employees and 50 for female blue-collar workers. Average life expectancy is anticipated to reach 78.3 in 2025, up from 77.3 in 2019, according to the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for public services. Average life expectancy in China had previously gone from 67.8 in 1981 to 77.3 in 2019, a white paper released by the State Council Information Office read.
–The Daily Mail-Beijing review news exchange item
