Services for the elderly

Whether China can create a practical and economical scheme to take care of its senior citizens will impact on its long-term development in the next five years, as the number of citizens above the age of 60 is expected to increase by 8 million annually and reach 216 million by the year 2015, accounting for more than 16 percent of the total population.

The number of residents above the age of 80 will reach 24 million, comprising 11 percent of the aged population. The number of elderly people above the age of 60 will reach 40 million in rural areas.

Traditionally, elderly residents were usually taken care of by their children when big families of two or three generations lived under the same roof, which is why filial piety was so important in traditional Chinese culture.