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China's ageing population

China's ageing population
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China's ageing population. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The number of dementia cases in China reached 17 million in 2021, but could rise to 115 million by 2050. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

China has world’s fastest rising number of dementia cases

The number of cases doubled globally in 30 years, but in China it rose threefold, according to a study that warned the problem may get worse.

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Hong Kong housing

Opinion | Help Hongkongers age in place. Care homes are not a long-term solution

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Trending in China

China son quits job to care for mum whose illness left her with mental age of 2

Trending in China

China dad weds late son’s partner to avoid nursing home, sparks daughter’s fury

86-year-old man insists relationship with dead son’s girlfriend is one of ‘true love’, says she ‘voluntarily’ cares for him.

An 86-year-old father in China has married his late son’s girlfriend to avoid being sent to a nursing home, causing his daughter to explode in anger. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
Trending in China

Chinese son, 51, admired online for carrying elderly mum on back in baby sling

Dutiful middle-aged man who takes paralysed 88-year-old mother on special trips suffers back trouble as result of his efforts.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | The convergence of AI and robotics couldn’t have come at a better time

The country’s manufacturing prowess and sophisticated supply chains will propel humanoid robot development.

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US-China relations

Opinion | 4 ways China can reverse its population decline and boost consumption

With the US market largely closed to it, Beijing cannot neglect the wider social impact of couples’ decisions about whether to have children.

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Children ride with adults in a park in Fuyang, in east China’s Anhui province, on January 16. China said on January 17 that its population fell for the third year running in 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country battles a looming demographic crisis. Photo: AFP
China's population

More Chinese leave the knot untied as marriage registrations drop

Marriages saw a year-on-year fall of 8 per cent in China for the first quarter of 2025 – a worrying sign as demographic decline continues.

Trending in China

‘God’s gift’: China elderly couple raising 5-year-old daughter spark controversy

Under dad’s guidance, Tianci is learning valuable skills like cooking, cleaning; he also teaches her how to navigate life, relationships.

China birth rate

How this corner of China is still embracing big families amid national decline

While the rest of China attempts to boost birth rates as the population ages, why has the southern province stayed relatively resilient?

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Most provinces in China have witnessed a precipitous drop in births in recent years. Photo: Future Publishing via Getty Images
China economy

Opinion | More of China’s spending power needs to be unleashed. Here’s how

Childcare, healthcare and elderly care are precisely the parts of China’s consumer demand that remain significantly untapped.

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People visit a popular shopping district near Jingan Temple in Shanghai on October 12. Photo: AP
China economy

Opinion | Cities power growth. China has more megacities than anyone else

Many Chinese cities have country-sized economies. Places some Westerners haven’t heard of would have UN seats if they were countries.

Trending in China

China family sues passers-by for not helping elderly man after deadly bike fall

Court rules that because there was no ‘physical conflict’ between pedestrians and victim, the former were not ‘obliged’ to pay compensation.

China travel

‘Vast untapped market’: how China’s elderly are transforming global tourism

Over-65s make up a fast-growing segment of China’s vast outbound travel market – and they tend to be big spenders.

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Retirees make up a fast-growing segment of China’s vast outbound tourism market. Photo: EPA/STR
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Let old people earn our respect. They do not have a divine right to it

Asians in particular are conditioned to show older people deference, but I beg to differ. They should show themselves worthy of our respect.

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An elderly passenger boards a bus in Taipei, Taiwan, during rush hour. Priority seats on public transport provided for passengers like this are sometimes occupied by young people, sparking confrontation. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Trending in China

‘Shameful’: China woman buys flat for old professor she cares for, sparks dispute

Woman says residence represents not merely bricks and mortar, but four decades of cherished memories.

Ageing society

Former officials call for parity, reform in China’s pension system

The current pension structure is too lopsided to provide adequate benefits to those in poorer regions, former banking officials say at Boao Forum.

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China's population

Can birth subsidies save China from its looming population crisis?

China is betting big on birth subsidies to stave off a demographic crisis. But do cash payments really work?

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Illustration: Pearl Law
Trending in China

China seniors adopt quirky workouts – crocodile crawl, tree-bumping for longevity

Obsession with longevity drives many to pursue unconventional health routines to boost vitality.

Trending in China

This 39-year-old China grandma goes viral online in clip feeding infant grandson

Internet users in awe over ‘slim, young’ grandma with 20,000 online fans who feeds grandson as daughter-in-law rests nearby.

Trending in China

Chinese woman, 103, dies after 80-year wait for husband who worked abroad

Centenarian never gave up hope of finding her absent husband whose last letter to her was in 1952, family say she was ‘at peace’ when she passed.

A 103-year-old Chinese woman has passed away after waiting 80 years for her husband who went abroad to work. Photo: SCMP composite/YouTube
China jobs

Job market bias against over-35s targeted by Chinese lawmakers

With millions of university graduates entering the labour force each year, many companies prefer younger, lower-paid employees.

A job-seeker fills in her personal information during a job fair in Qingzhou, Shandong province, last month. Photo: Xinhua
Two Sessions 2025

China urged to prepare students for challenges of AI and ageing population

At ‘two sessions’, Chinese lawmakers and political advisers call for changes to education system to ‘solve future problems’.

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Two Sessions 2025

China, it’s time for ‘the talk’: sex education urged for children

Years after Beijing called for ‘age-appropriate sex education for minors’, a national curriculum remains absent as China’s demographic crisis worsens.

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Two Sessions 2025

Is free preschool education the solution to China’s birth crisis?

The policy idea appears to be gaining momentum in China, with a proposal set to be made at this week’s ‘two sessions’.

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Students fly paper airplanes at a kindergarten in eastern China. Chinese lawmakers are reportedly considering proposals to provide free preschool education as part of a campaign to convince parents to have more children. Photo: Getty Images
China's economic recovery

China takes leading role in setting global standards for senior care robots

Chinese experts were heavily involved in coordinating the process that will shape the future of a key emerging industry.

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Humanoid robots developed by Unitree Robotics have gained prominence in China over recent months, with the company predicting the devices will be widely deployed in the service and industrial sectors within the next two years. Photo: AFP
Trending in China

China grandmas fall head over heels for ‘AI grandsons’ who cook, spread laughter

AI grandsons delight grandmas, but when family members point out their artificial nature, it only frustrates them.

Ageing society

How China’s adoption laws risk freezing children out of family life

Strict rules designed to protect children mean large numbers of would-be adopters are facing a near-impossible task.

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