From Fortune · Jay Ganglani · · 1m 20s
China's elderly now outnumber children for first time
China's old-age dependency ratio has overtaken its child dependency ratio, creating mounting pressure on pensions and healthcare as the workforce shrinks.
In brief
China's old-age dependency ratio has overtaken its child dependency ratio, creating mounting pressure on pensions and healthcare as the workforce shrinks. China's elderly population now exceeds its children for the first time, straining pensions and healthcare as the birth rate hits its lowest since nineteen…
Elderly now outnumber children in China
China's old-age dependency ratio rose to twenty-three point one percent last year, overtaking the child dependency ratio of twenty-two percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
More than 223 million elderly, 213 million children
More than two hundred twenty-three million people in China are sixty-five or older, compared with roughly two hundred thirteen million children aged fourteen and under, according to government data.
Pension and healthcare costs mounting
The costs of an ageing population fall more heavily on pensions, healthcare and long-term care, says Stuart Gietel-Basten, professor of social science and public policy at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
“The costs of an ageing population fall more heavily on pensions, healthcare and long-term care.”
Birth rate hits lowest since 1949
China's population fell for a fourth consecutive year in twenty twenty-five, dropping by three point four million people to one point four zero five billion.
Government offers incentives to boost births
China announced last year it would offer parents a subsidy of three thousand six hundred yuan, five hundred forty dollars, a year for each child under three.
The bottom line
China's elderly population now exceeds its children for the first time, straining pensions and healthcare as the birth rate hits its lowest since nineteen forty-nine.
