Ageing in China: health and social consequences and responses

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Abstract
The People’s Republic of China consists of 32 provinces and a special administrative region (Hong Kong) and is home to 1.27 billion or roughly one-fifth of the world’s population. Although the majority ethnic group (94%) is Han, there are altogether 56 ethnic groups with differences in language, religion, and lifestyle. There is huge income inequality, from multi-millionaires in urban regions to those in rural areas who have difficulty getting enough money for daily necessities. As a result there is a wide variation in lifestyle, morbidity and mortality patterns. A government survey in 1999 showed that the number of people aged over 60 has reached 127 million, or 10.1% of the total population.1 With population ageing, the increasing degenerative disease burden and social implications have placed elderly issues on the agenda of all government sectors. This article describes the demography, living arrangements, morbidity and mortality of the ageing population, and the present health and welfare systems. How the government responds to the health and social consequences of ageing, and the future outlook will be discussed.