Chinese Citizens Are Writing Wills at a Younger Age, Report Shows

1. The average age of Chinese citizens drafting wills has fallen significantly over the past decade, highlighting major shifts in family structure, increased numbers of unmarried adults, and greater awareness of personal wealth management in China. Traditionally, inheritance was a matter dealt with in old age or handled informally, but this trend marks a departure from the past. The China Will Registration Center’s white paper, released on March 21, outlines these demographic changes based on their registration of more than 405,000 wills over 13 years.[para. 1][para. 2]

2. The white paper documents a consistent drop in the average age of will-makers, decreasing from 77.43 years in 2013 to 67.64 in 2025—a reduction of nearly 10 years. For 13 consecutive years, younger generations have increasingly participated in estate planning, indicating that will-drafting is becoming mainstream not only for the elderly but also middle-aged adults.[para. 3]

3. In 2025, those aged 60 to 70 represented over 50% of all will-makers, making them the predominant demographic. Chen Kai, a director at the will registration center and a board member of the China Aging Development Foundation, interprets this as proof that estate planning awareness is growing as the "post-60s" generation enters their senior years.[para. 4]

4. The proportion of young and middle-aged individuals making wills is also on the rise. For instance, in Shanghai, people under 60 made up 23.68% of will-makers in 2025, with the 30-39 age group seeing the fastest growth. Long Yifei, an expert in family law, sees this as a sign that the Civil Code’s emphasis on the "autonomy of will" is now influencing people across all age groups.[para. 5][para. 6]

5. When it comes to younger and middle-aged will-makers, the motivations are varied. The leading reason (18.38%) is to prevent assets from becoming unaccounted for; another 15.29% want to isolate their children from marriage-related asset risks. This reflects the complexity of modern family and economic situations in China.[para. 7]

6. Women continue to outpace men in will-making, accounting for 59% of all wills in 2025, a one percentage point increase from the previous year. Among unmarried or non-marrying women, 46.38% cited “taking care of parents” as their main motivation, while 30.17% of remarried women aimed to “prevent assets from falling into others’ hands.” This points to a growing trend of women taking charge as "wealth managers," reflecting their expanding role beyond traditional family caregiving, especially as marriage and family structures diversify.[para. 8][para. 9]

7. In 2025, the will-making practices of empty-nest and solitary seniors are particularly notable; 61.42% (25,287 out of 41,168) of wills made by seniors were from those living alone. Their primary concerns were avoiding family disputes (32.38%) and simplifying asset transfer procedures (33.15%), but 15.66% also aimed to protect their assets from risks related to their children’s marriages. Interestingly, 70% of solitary, childless seniors left assets to non-relatives. These behaviors reflect the breakdown of traditional family units and a greater desire for self-protection among the elderly.[para. 10][para. 11][para. 12]

8. The unmarried and non-marrying population drafting wills is largely urban, with 80% residing in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangdong. Between 2017 and 2025, women comprised 68.52% of this demographic. Their chief reason (44.82%) for writing wills was to secure care for their parents. Preventing assets from becoming unaccounted for (28.39%) and procedure simplification (11.35%) were also significant motivations. A small percentage left assets to support children born out of wedlock (1.75%), and 8.32% contributed to charities.[para. 13][para. 14]