Services for an aging population

An aging population means an increasing demand for a comprehensive pension system, healthcare and long-term care.

According to a report by the United Nations, it is estimated that the world's population of over-60s will reach 2 billion by 2050. And China is expected to make up nearly 30-percent of the world's elderly population by the end of the same year.

In terms of pension, a report from Renmin University of China shows the challenges faced by the society. Only 24.1-percent of the aged relied on the pension as their major income source in 2010. That figure has increased from 19.6-percent ten years ago due to the the fast development of the health-care system.

Though improvements have been seen during the past ten years, there are still gaps with developed nations as pension is usually the major income source for the elderly there. The number is still very low in rural areas of China, where only 4.6-percent of the aged rely on their pension as a major source of income.

The report also revealed the problem of empty nesters who made up one-third of the total population of the aged in China in 2010.