Wu Yan

Cristelyn Christy
English for College (ENG4C)
29/11/2021
Ageing of China's population
Aging is a double sense of aging, not only the aging of social members but also the aging
of society itself. Population aging refers to the process in which the proportion of the population
in the total population is rising due to the decrease in the number of young people and the
relative increase in the number of old people due to the decrease in fertility rate and the
extension of average life expectancy. At present, China has entered an aging society. Since the
late 20th century, China has implemented the one-child policy to control the rapid growth of the
population, resulting in a rapid decline in the birth rate. Even so, China's population continues to
grow at a rate of 5.7 million a year. The current comfortable life has led to an increase in average
life expectancy, so the aging of China's population is inevitable and will become an increasingly
serious social problem. In the face of the problem of the aging population in China, it is
necessary to analyze the causes and influences of the aging population in China and put forward
corresponding solutions.

According to the classification standard of Population Aging and Its Social and Economic
Consequences established by the United Nations in 1956, when the population aged 65 and
above accounts for more than 7% of the total population in a country or region, it means that the
country or region enters the aging population. In China, the number of aged population aged 65
and above has far exceeded 7%. According to the survey conducted in the sixth national
population census in 2010, the population aged 65 and above accounted for 8.87% of the total
population, which has exceeded the standard of population aging, which also means that the
aging situation of China's population is more serious than expected. There are three main reasons
for the aging of China's population. First, the rapid growth of China's economy and the progress
of science and technology. Since the reform and opening-up, China's economy has developed
rapidly, and the level of health care and social welfare has been constantly improved. As a result,
China has made amazing achievements in health and longevity. With the increasing abundance of
nutrition and health care products, people's nutrition level has been improved and the life span of
the population has been prolonged. With China's economic development, the investment in
medical infrastructure has been high and various diseases have been effectively controlled. As a
result, the average life expectancy of the Chinese population has increased. And the increase of
average life expectancy will lead to the aggravation of population aging. Moreover, the second
reason is the implementation of China's family planning policy (one-child policy). To control the
over-rapid growth of the total population and reduce the pressure of too large a population on
economic and social development. Since the 1980s, China has implemented the family planning
policy, which has greatly reduced the fertility level of the whole society. It can be seen that the
low fertility rate brought about by the family planning policy is an important reason for
population aging. In addition, the third reason is the change of young people's ideas. Due to
environmental impact and social pressure, many young people are unwilling to have children or
have more children, which directly leads to the decrease of fertility rate and the acceleration of
the aging process in Chinese society.

Next, I will explain and analyze the economic and social impact of China's aging
population. Here are four implications of China's aging population. First of all, the population
aging will lead to the burden of the society, because with the increase of the number of the
elderly population, the government and the enterprise two aspects of the amount of pension and
the pension spending will increase, and for the cost of social insurance and welfare spending will
also increase accordingly, which will not only make the social burden, will limit the development
of Chinese economy, to a certain extent. The second is the increased demand of older persons for
medical, health and life services. An ageing population increased the demand for old age
security, according to the Chinese health service survey results show that the prevalence of the
elderly is significantly higher than other age groups, this will lead to increased demand medical
services and medical burden of aggravating, along with the rapid development of aging
population, the health care system and medical service provide both faced with severe
challenges. The third is the weakening of the family's ability to provide for the aged. On the
economic level, providing for the aged will bring enormous economic pressure to the family.
However, with the increase of population aging and the decrease of the number of children,
providing for the aged will become unbearable pressure for the family. Fourth, the elderly do not
adapt to the development of social and cultural welfare, social welfare for the elderly is an
important part of the social security system, to enhance and improve the elderly material life and
spiritual and cultural life has an important role. However, with the rapid growth of China's aging
population, the development of social welfare for the elderly in China has been unable to meet
the spiritual and material needs of the elderly.

Finally, I will discuss how to deal with China's aging population. I think China can carry
out diversified pension mode, current China's model of pension is given priority to with
traditional family pension mode, the lack of this pension mode is that older people generally
difficult to be professional and meticulous care of nursing in the family, and the extent of the
children's income and the elderly care for this kind of mode has great influence. For example, the
standard of living at $4,500 a month will be limited. Therefore, we should actively carry out a
diversified pension mode, so that the family pension gradually transitions to the new pension
mode transition. For example, in nursing homes, everyone pays the same fee, which will balance
the living standard of the elderly, and the staff of nursing homes will take care of the elderly
more carefully. Or combine social care with family care. At this stage, both social and family
pensions alone are facing challenges. A flexible combination of family and social pensions will
not only reduce the pressure on social pensions but will also increase the happiness of families
and maintain social stability. The Chinese government can help raise awareness and
understanding of aging among its citizens. For example, through the news media, the public can
be made aware of the urgency and seriousness of population aging and the importance of
implementing a healthy aging strategy, to mobilize the enthusiasm of the whole society to jointly
deal with population aging. I also encourage the Chinese government to actively develop aging
industries. The aging industry is an important part of social security for the elderly. The
development of the aging industry can not only improve the quality of life of the elderly but also
promote the development of the social economy. Therefore, the Chinese government should play
a leading role in creating conditions to support the development of aging industries from all
aspects.

All in all, China is one of the countries with a high degree of aging population in the
world. Due to the large size of the elderly population, it brings great pressure to the construction
of the national pension and health care system and the development of medical care. According
to BBE, the elderly population in China will remain high for a long time in the future. This
brings great challenges to the expenditure of pension funds, the design of the social security
system and the construction of supporting infrastructure for the elderly. Therefore, China should
constantly improve medical and health services and accelerate the development of health care for
the elderly. We will follow the healthy China strategy as President Xi Jinping pointed out in his
report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), actively respond
to the aging of the population, develop a policy system and a social environment for caring for
and respecting the elderly, and combine medical and elderly care. I believe that under the correct
leadership of the Chinese government and with the joint efforts of the Chinese people, an aging
population will no longer be an obstacle to China's development, but will become a powerful
driving force for China's development.

Citation
TZheng, Lili. “Population Aging and the Demand for Private Health Insurance in China.”
De Gruyter, De Gruyter, 24 Aug. 2021,
www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/apjri-2019-0042/html.

China's Aging Population: Trends and Policy Response - CGTN.

news.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-14/China-s-aging-population-Trends-and-policy-response-10
fOOVvGufC/index.html.

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up-to-date data than referenced in the text. “Topic: Aging Population in China.” Statista,
www.statista.com/topics/6000/aging-population-in-china/.