The aging of the population in China is intensifying. According to expert forecasts, the number of people over the age of 60 could exceed 400 million within the next decade, Xinhua reports.
According to the data, by the end of 2025, the number of citizens over 60 in the country will exceed 320 million, accounting for nearly 23 percent of the total population. For this reason, authorities are implementing new measures to mitigate this issue.
In particular, it is planned that by 2030, at least 70 percent of urban and rural areas will be covered by institutions providing services to the elderly. Special attention is also being paid to strengthening the support system for lonely and vulnerable seniors.
Experts point to the "one-child policy" introduced at the end of the last century as one of the main reasons for this situation. This restriction led to a sharp decline in birth rates.
Although the government later relaxed restrictions on the number of children, birth rates did not increase to the expected levels. As a result, in the last year, China's population decreased by 3.39 million people, totaling 1.404 billion.
This situation is creating new demographic and economic challenges for the country.
