China’s elderly population to reach 400 million people by 2035

Almaty. October 31. Silkroadnews - The number of elderly people in China will reach 400 million by 2035, Xinhua news agency reported.
“China’s elderly population has been increasing rapidly and is estimated to hit around 400 million by the end of 2035, according to experts,” the report said.
It is noted that in 2000 China became an “aging society”, and the elderly population increased by about 10 million people annually, said Zheng Gongcheng, head of the China Association of Social Security (CAOSS). By the end of 2035, the elderly population could reach about 400 million people, which will make China a “super aging society”.
As the agency explains, according to the international standards, a country or region is considered to be an “aging society”, when people aged 65 and over account for 7% to 14% of the total population. After their number exceeds 14%, the country is considered a “super aging society.” Currently, China has 240 million people aged above 60. At the same time, according to Zheng, care services for the elderly people develop rapidly, but inconsistently. He noted, the services are not enough to satisfy the national demand, while the unbalanced supply still creates a problem.
Such services lack social participation and professional nursing staff. There are also contradictions between the styles of nursing, such as modern and traditional methods.
Zheng recommended the development of an industry plan to provide care for the elderly people, which should be seen as a new growth point for a sustainable national economy. It is necessary to improve staff training quality to assist the elderly people, with this the legal system should be improved as well to ensure the elderly rights protection.
CAOSS is a non-governmental organization engaged in research in the field of social security, vocational education and training, as well as international exchanges on social security issues.