China will launch a massive sample survey of senior citizens on August 1. This survey, the fourth China has made on the living situation of senior people in rural and urban areas, will last about one month with the effort of 40,000 census-takers, according to a press release held by China National Committee on Ageing.

The census covers 466 counties (districts), 1,864 towns (communities) and 7,456 villages (neighborhood) of China’s 31 provinces including Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In total, 224,000 people will be surveyed, accounting for 1 percent of the total population of the senior citizens, said Wu Yushao, the deputy director of China National Committee on Ageing.

The survey covers old-age care, medical treatment, housing, commuting, daily necessities, and entertainment among other aspects. 

China’s population aging accelerates in recent years. As of the end of 2014, the number of Chinese senior people over 60 had reached 212 million, comprising 15.5 percent of the total population.