Demand for care to rise in China with 200m elderly

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Demand for care to rise in China with 200m elderly

(Global Times) 08:44, November 04, 2013

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Demand for elderly care services in China will continue to rise due to the increasing aging population, as the number of elderly people in China ready to top 200 million this year, experts said on Saturday.

The number of elderly people aged above 60 will top 200 million in 2013, 300 million in 2025 and 400 million in 2034, Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo said.

On average, about 25,000 people retire in China every day, said Hu Xiaoyi, Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Security.

It will be tough for China to cope, as it is experiencing accelerated urbanization and a dwindling willingness to have children, said Li Wei, director of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

The biggest challenge is that Chinese people do not have enough money as they get older, Li Wei said.

The United Nations defines an aging society as one that has 10 percent of its population at or above the age of 60.

When most developed countries were classed as an aging society, their gross domestic product per capita stood at between $5,000 to $10,000 or above.

However, China became an aging society in 2001, and its GDP per capita was only $1,000. It was $6,000 in 2012, Li Wei said.

"The economic foundation is very fragile for an elderly society," Li Wei said.

On September 13, the State Council issued a guideline to accelerate the development of China's elderly care services, vowing to complete a social care network for its elderly by the year of 2025.

（Editor：ChenLidan、Yao Chun）