China's elderly fare well in global report
China does well in new UN-funded study of older people's living conditions around the world, but some say findings are too rosy
A study backed by the United Nations has placed China just outside the leading third of 91 nations on how well their elderly fare, although some Chinese academics argue the ranking is overly optimistic.
In determining its ranking, the "Global Agewatch Index" looked at how the elderly fared in four general areas: income security, health status, education and social environment. Nordic nations, Germany and Canada dominated the top five, with China ranked 35th.
The report noted recent efforts to strengthen the basic security net. "Bold initiatives to extend social protection and healthcare insurance to urban and rural areas have significant potential to change the outlook for older Chinese people," said the report by HelpAge International, a non-governmental organisation.
But when the score was broken down, China slipped to the bottom third of nations in terms of income security, which included pension coverage and the poverty rate in old age.
"China has made significant progress in reducing overall income poverty, lifting nearly 700 million people above the poverty line between 1981 and 2010. However, rates of poverty among older people remain high in comparison with other age groups," said the report, which used data from the UN and other global agencies.