One in Five Chinese Is Now Elderly, Official Data Shows

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What’s new: Over 20% of China’s population is now aged 60 years and older, official data showed.

At the end of 2023, 296.97 million Chinese people were aged 60 and over, up from 280 million the year before, according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs last week.

That means the elderly account for 21.1% of the total population, up 1.3 percentage points year-on-year and exceeding 20% for the first time.

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Over 20% of China's population, or 296.97 million people, are now aged 60 and older as of the end of 2023.
More than 216 million Chinese are aged 65 and over, making up 15.4% of the total population.
China is projected to become a severely aging society by 2035, with over 400 million elderly, posing economic, health, and pension system challenges.

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What Happened When

2000：: China passed the threshold of 10% of its population aged 60 and over.

2021：: A spokesperson of the National Bureau of Statistics noted that when the proportion of people aged 60 and over reaches 20%, the country would be considered a moderately aging society by international standards.

2022：: The National Health Commission estimated that China is expected to enter the severely aging society stage around 2035 with over 400 million elderly citizens.

By the end of 2022：: China had 280 million people aged 60 and over, accounting for approximately 19.8% of the population.

By December 2023：: More than 216 million Chinese people were aged 65 and over, accounting for 15.4% of the population.

At the end of 2023：: 296.97 million Chinese people were aged 60 and over, up from 280 million the year before, accounting for 21.1% of the total population.

AI generated, for reference only