Yunnan's demographic profile 'favorable'

Yunnan province in Southwest China is positioned to benefit from a more favorable demographic profile compared to the national average, local authorities said recently.

By the end of 2023, approximately 63.4 percent of Yunnan's population of 46.7 million was of working age, defined as those aged between 16 and 59, according to the provincial statistics bureau. This figure is 2.1 percentage points higher than the national average.

Meanwhile, 16.9 percent of Yunnan's population was aged 60 and above, 4.2 percentage points lower than the national average. The proportion of residents aged 65 and older in the province also remained below the national level.

"Overall, the province's age structure is more favorable than the national average, with a relatively abundant labor force," the bureau said. Yunnan's dependency ratio — the number of children and elderly per 100 working-age individuals — was 43.4 percent, below the national level of 46.5 percent.

"This indicates that the province's labor force faces a relatively lighter care burden, making its demographic dividend more pronounced," the bureau added.

The province has also seen significant improvements in education and health over the past decade. The average years of education among individuals aged 15 and above increased from 7.76 years in 2010 to 8.82 years in 2020.

During the same period, Yunnan's average life expectancy rose by nearly 4.5 years to over 74 years.

"The substantial gains in literacy and education quality mean Yunnan's demographic dividend is gradually evolving into a talent dividend," the bureau noted.

The bureau highlighted that residents are increasingly concentrating in more developed central regions of the province, which offer better public services and ensure a steady labor supply.

China is grappling with an aging society and a persistently low fertility rate, with its total population declining for two consecutive years.

Cai Fang, a former vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a prominent economist, remarked that the traditional demographic dividend — characterized by a high proportion of working-age people and a low dependency ratio — is diminishing in China.

In a signed article published in China Economic Weekly this month, Cai argued for policies aimed at harnessing the potential of older populations.

"Future strategies should focus on making full use of the burgeoning older demographic as a valuable source of labor," he wrote.