Shanghai’s elderly population rapidly growing
March 30, 2016, 6:44 pm

China’s authorities have included provisions for elderly care in their 13th Five-Year Plan. The number of above-60 in the population is rapidly growing [Xinhua]

According to surveys compiled by both bureaus, there are 4.36 million people over the age of 60 living in Shanghai, China’s financial center.

Shanghai’s population is around 28 million.

The population growth rate of those above 60 grew 5.3 per cent from 2014; the number is expected to reach 5 million by 2018.

China’s 13th five-year plan for the period beginning 2016 and ending 2021 has taken into account a huge budget dedicated to elderly care.

In order to meet as yet undisclosed consumption targets during this period, the Communist Party of China (CPC) will push to fashion an economic strategy that it says is based on balanced, inclusive and sustainable economic development.

The CPC communique indicates that this will be achieved by looking at China’s existing demographic realities. One of the most significant and far-reaching decisions is the rescinding of the 30-year-old one-child policy and allow some 90 million eligible couples to have up to two children.

The CPC sees this as a socio-economic imperative because of its extensive ageing population and as a means to increase domestic consumption. It will lift the mandatory retirement age.

One target goal for the CPC in the coming five years will be to create a family-oriented care and service paradigm that will involve local communities to help with the ageing population.

Shanghai is already seen as a leader in elderly care, in terms of the services it provides.

According to the Xinhua news agency, Shanghai already has “699 nursing institutions with 126,000 beds, 422 daytime elderly care service centers, 163 home-based care centers, as well as 634 community canteens for old people”.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau and the Shanghai Statistics Bureau, Shanghai’s life expectancy rate is over 82 years.

That is higher than the national life expectancy rate of 75 years.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies