Friday, November 17, 2000, updated at 19:21(GMT+8)
Life
Beijing Has 1.88 Million People Aged over 60
Beijing has 1.88 million people over the age of 60, accounting for 14.6 percent of the city's total population, according to a latest conference.
The working conference on Beijing's senior citizens also said that the elderly population in Beijing grows at an annual speed of 5.5 percent.
An increasing number of elderly people suffering from chronic diseases has become a prominent problem. Statistics show that 71.4 percent of the city's elderly population above the age of 60 have chronic diseases, up 19.6 percent over the nation's average.
Beijing became an aging society in 1999. The municipal government has in recent years formulated regulations concerning its pensions, basic medical care and social welfare systems to protect the rights and interests of senior citizens.