Nearly 1/5 of Liaoning province are senior citizens

There were 7.5 million elderly people in Liaoning province aged 60 and over by the end of 2012, accounting for 17.7 percent of the provincial population, according to a report released on Sunday by the Liaoning Civil Affairs Department.

The provincial percentage of elderly people is about 3.4 percentage points higher than the country's proportion of senior citizens.

The population of senior citizens over 80 years old in the province increased significantly with a growth of 3.9 percent this past year.

According to the report, health conditions of the province's elderly population are declining and there is a sharp growth in the number of senior citizens with empty nests. The province has established a living subsidy system for citizens over 90 years old.