A community volunteer helps to improve the elderly psychological health in a class in Beijing's Haidian District. (File photo)
(ECNS) – Beijing will face serious problems brought about by its aging population in the coming years, the Beijing Times reported on Thursday.
The number of people older than 60 in the capital city increases by more than 500 daily, the newspaper said, citing an expert.
At the end of 2015, the number of elderly citizens aged 60 or above with a Beijing hukou, or permanent residence permit, was about 3.15 million, accounting for 23.4 percent of the city's total population, China's second highest, said Li Hongbing, deputy director of the municipal civil affairs bureau.
The number of elderly permanent residents in the city reached 3.4 million at the end of last year, taking up 15.7 percent of the total. In addition, the number of senior citizens in Beijing's six urban districts account for two-thirds of its total elderly population.
According to estimates, senior citizens will make up more than 30 percent of Beijing's permanent residents by 2030, and such a high ratio will continue for at least 50 years, Li said. By 2030, Beijing is likely to have 800,000 residents above the age of 75 who have only one child, he noted.
By 2050, Beijing's elderly population will top 6.3 million, meaning one out of every three residents will be an elderly citizen, he said.
Currently, half of Beijing's families are "empty-nests", and that ratio will continue to expand, Li said. According to a sampled survey, the number of Beijing's elderly citizens needing caregivers totals 600,000, including more than 100,000 with dementia, he said.
As a result, the city's pension fund will face huge pressure. Payments will total 200 billion yuan ($30.75 billion) in 2020 and hit a high of 670 billion yuan in 2030, he said.
Li said the municipal government is working on more than 50 programs to boost development of the city's elderly care service industry.
He called on families, enterprises, society and government to work together to tackle the problem.
