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Shanghai Battles to Cope with Greying Population
Elderly people in Shanghai now make up almost 20 per cent of the city's population - almost 10 per cent higher than average in China's cities, according to statistics from the Shanghai Research Centre on Aging.
As China Daily reports, among the city's 13.2 million population, 18.29 per cent are over 60 years old - 0.09 higher than in 1999.
For the country as a whole, people aged over 60 make up 10 per cent of the population, the level at which a population is considered an "aging one" according to United Nations guidelines.
By the end of last year, Shanghai had 306 people aged over 100, 71 more than at the end of 1999, the statistics said.
Out of the 306 centenarians, 264 were women, the report said. The ten oldest people are all women.
Experts at the research centre claim the country 's ageing population will reach a peak by the year 2050, when 29.8 per cent of the population will be aged over 60.
In Shanghai, the peak is expected to be reached in 2030, when 32 per cent of the population will be over 60.
The yearly added number of elderly people in 1999 and 2000 surpassed the estimated 20,000 and hit 29,500 and 32,400 respectively.
And the number of people above 80 years old is growing fast these years, said Shen Zhenxin, deputy director with Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs.
Among the yearly added 30,000 elder people, about 20,000 are above 80.
Measures to guarantee pensions and social welfare funds for the people are expected to be improved in the city.
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