Asia This Week

Hyper-aging society creates challenges for China (2013x7)

: 01, 2013

China expects the number of people age 60 and over to exceed 200 million by the end of this year and to reach 400 million in 2050. The world has never seen an advanced–age society of that scale. The demographics create additional responsibilities for the country's one–child generation. Because of the government's policy to curb population growth, fewer family members will be available to care for larger numbers of senior citizens. Our report examines the present situation and looks to Shanghai for examples of how the country may cope with age disparities.