China and Aging

Asia has about 60% of the world’s population, and population aging is occurring more rapidly in Asia than in Western countries. The group aged 65 years and above will increase from 207 million in 2000 to 857 million in 2050, a staggering increase of 314%. The diversity in economic, demographic, religious, cultural, and geopolitical factors in Asia is unparalleled by any other continent and is, in part, contributing to the rapid rise in population aging. By 2050, those under 15 years old will have shrunk from 30% in 2000 to 19%, while those aged 65 years and above will increase from 6% to 18%. In addition, the gender divide still persists with 100 elderly women to 70 elderly men. These projected demographic changes pose three major challenges: (1) how best to address the rising population of the group aged 65 years and above, (2) how to address the shrinking population of the young as well as the working adults, and (3) how to address the problems arising from the disproportionate increase in older women than men. In particular, the case of China is a unique phenomenon in terms of international aging.