Beijing faces a demographic shift.. elderly to exceed one-third of the population by 2035
Amman3 min read
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The Chinese capital, Beijing, is preparing to face an advanced stage of population aging, as the proportion of those aged 60 and over is expected to exceed 33% of the total population by 2035, equivalent to one in every three people. This shift raises concerns about increasing pressures on pension and healthcare systems, and its potential repercussions on China's efforts to boost domestic consumption.
The official "Beijing Daily" newspaper reported that the number of permanent residents in the capital aged 60 and over reached 5.288 million by the end of 2025, representing 24.3% of the total population, according to data released on Sunday.
In the face of accelerating population aging, local authorities are working to develop healthcare and social services dedicated to the elderly, in parallel with increasing financial support for this group.
Beijing has raised basic pensions for residents and allocated approximately 3.51 billion yuan, equivalent to nearly 525 million dollars, to support the elderly during 2025. These allocations were used to provide assistance to elderly and most needy individuals approximately 11.96 million times, according to official data.
The city currently includes 620 elderly care institutions, 168 regional service centers, and more than 1,500 community care stations, in addition to 155,000 beds dedicated to this group.
Meal service points for the elderly cover about 90% of urban and rural communities in Beijing, while authorities plan to add 30,000 home care beds over the next three years.
Future plans include increasing the number of affordable comprehensive care beds, raising the proportion of nursing care beds in elderly institutions to 73%, as well as expanding services provided to those suffering from dementia.
Beijing also aims for more than 95% of secondary-level hospitals and above to include specialized geriatrics departments by 2030, a move aimed at enhancing the health system's ability to deal with the increasing medical needs of the older population.
These developments come at a time when China's population has been declining since 2022, coinciding with a rise in the average age, which poses additional challenges to the government's efforts to stimulate domestic consumption and curb debt.
Hundreds of millions of people are expected to leave the labor market as they age, which could increase pressure on pension funds and public finances. Economic and demographic experts warn that a decrease in the number of children could lead to a future decline in the number of households and a slowdown in consumption growth.
Chinese authorities are trying to limit these repercussions by encouraging childbirth and addressing low birth rates, in light of the growing link between population policies and the country's economic planning.
According to estimates cited by the "Reuters" agency, the potential cost of government measures aimed at boosting births could reach about 180 billion yuan, equivalent to 26.92 billion dollars, during 2026.
The projections regarding Beijing reflect a broader challenge facing China, which is the need to reconcile meeting the needs of an aging society with maintaining the workforce and supporting consumption, at a time when demographic shifts are increasingly important in determining the country's economic path.
