Shanghai reports growing elderly population

Chinese business hub Shanghai is getting older, with nearly a third of its registered population aged 60 or older at the end of 2013, latest statistics showed Thursday.

The number of people aged 60 or above in the city rose by 203,000 from 2012 to 3.88 million at the end of 2013, accounting for 27 percent of the registered population, according to figures released by the city's civil affairs authority.

The number of people aged 80 or older in Shanghai increased by 45,100 from 2012 to reach 715,500 in 2013, the figures showed.

There were 1,407 centenarians in the city at the end of 2013, including 356 men and 1,051 women.

The elderly population in Shanghai is expected to reach its peak around 2025, according to predictions by the civil affairs authority.

To cope with the growing elderly population, the city has been encouraging social capital investment in nursing facilities.

China's population is aging rapidly, and 202 million people, or 14.9 percent of the total population, had reached age 60 or above at the end of 2013, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

This number is expected to exceed 300 million by 2025, according to the ministry.