Financing aging society becomes key priority By Fu Yifu | China Daily | Updated: 2026-05-25 09:47

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202605/25/WS6a13aa5ea310d6866eb4a7e4.html China is becoming a deeply aging society at an unprecedented pace. By the end of 2025, the country's population aged 60 and above had reached 323 million, accounting for 23 percent of the total population. It is projected that the elderly population will grow at an average annual rate of 3.6 percent during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), while the 60-plus ratio will rise to 27.8 percent by 2030. The old-age dependency ratio is also expected to increase rapidly, surpassing 40 percent during the 15th Five-Year Plan period and reaching 46.1 percent by 2030. China defines the old-age dependency ratio as the number of individuals aged 65 or older per 100 people of working age — or those aged between 15 and 64.