Population Ageing and the Policies of China
Xiao Caiwei
Director
International Department
China National Committee on Ageing
30 October 2007 Sydney
Contents
I. Institutional introduction
- China National working Commission on Ageing (CNWCA)
- China National Committee on Ageing (CNCA)
II. Population Ageing in China
III. Major ageing policies in China
IV. Aged Care in China
V. Opportunities for Australian aged care organizations to cooperate with China
I. Institutions on Ageing in China
1\ China National Working Commission on Ageing (CNWCA)
2\ China National Committee on Ageing (CNCA)
Mandate of CNWCA
1\ strategy and policies of population ageing;
2\ coordination of the work on ageing by different Ministries and Departments;
3\ supervising and monitoring the work on ageing at local level of nation wide;
4\ coordination of the major ageing related activities by UN and other international organizations
Organizational Chart of CNWCA£º
Members of CNWCA:
Organization Department of CPC Central Committee,
Publicity Department of CPC Central Committee,
Working Committee of CPC Central Committee for the Institutions of the Central Committee, Working Committee of CPC Central Committee for the Institutions under the Central Government,
Development and Reform Commission,
Ministry of Education,
State Ethnic Affairs Commission,
Ministry of Public Security,
Ministry of Civil Affairs,
Ministry of Labor and Social Security,
Ministry of Justice,
Ministry of Finance,
Ministry of Personnel,
Ministry of Construction,
Ministry of Culture,
Ministry of Health,
State Administration of Radio Film and Television,
General Administration of Sports,
China National Tourism Administration,
General Administration of Press and Publication ,
National Population and Family Planning Commission,
General Political Department of PLA,
All China Federation of Trade Unions,
All China Women¡¯s Federation,
Chinese Communist Youth League,
China National Committee on Ageing
Mandate of CNCA:
1\ research on ageing for policy making¡¡purposes;
2\ information exchanges for the purpose of¡¡awareness promotion;
3\ participation in international events
4\ other work entrusted by the State council
II. Population Ageing in China
"While the young people of China was 6 times more than its old people 35 years ago, 35 years from now the old people will be twice as much as the young people."
"China will face the serious challenge of the ageing of population when the country's baby boomers come to retire at 2015. "
"By 2040, the total number of China's old population will reach 397 million, which equals to the total population of the five countries: Germany, France, UK, Italy and¡¡Japan." - Ageing of China by CSIS
Data: (2005)
Elderly Population 60+: 145 million
Proportion of Elderly Population: 11%
Proportion of Oldest Old (80+): 9.7% (op)
Number of Workers per elderly: 9: 1
Data: (2050)
Elderly Population 60+: 450 million
Proportion of Elderly Population: 32.73%
Proportion of Oldest Old (80+): 23% (op)
Number of Workers per elderly: 2.8: 1
Particular of Ageing in China: Fast speed of population ageing
£¨population over 65 1953-2050, in million£©
China's Population by Age and Sex: 1953
China's Population by Age and Sex: 2000
China's Population by Age and Sex: 2030
Speed of Population Ageing, China and Selected Countries
(Number of years required expected for percent of population aged 65 and over to rise from 7% to 14%)
Map of World Population Ageing 2006
(Source: Population Division UN)
Map of World Population Ageing 2050
(Source: Population Division UN)
Huge number of older population
(Source: UN Population Division)
Ageing of the older population
(Source: China 1953, 1964, 1982, 1990, and 2000 censuses; U.S. Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base)
More and more elderly people living alone ("Empty nest" households)
Total Fertility Rates in China: 1950 to 2000
Changes of household size (1953-2000)
(Source: China Population Censuses)
Composition of Households with older people in China: 2000
(Source: China 2000 Censuses)
Comparison of China and Australia
(Source: UN Population Division)
Comparison of China with G8
Elderly Population
(Source: UN Population Division)
Comparison of China with G8
Unit: 10 Million USD
Comparison of China with G8
Government Revenue (2005)
(Source: U.S. CIA)
III. Policies on Ageing
1\ Population policy
2\ Social policy
3\ Health policy
4\ Economic policy
5\ Future development
1\ Population policy
a. Population control (Family planning)
b. Encourage population migration (from rural to urban)
2\ Social policy
- Compulsory retirement
- Pension Scheme (mainly in urban areas)
- Social welfare programme (five guarantees for thee elderly with no children, no resource of income and no relatives to depend on)
- Cash subsidies for the poor population under poverty line including elderly
- Cash subsidies for the oldest old (above 80, 90 or 100 by local governments)
- Medical care insurance for urban citizens
- Collaborative medical care for the rural residents
- Medical assistance for the poor population including the elderly people
3\ Health policy
Emphasis on preventive health through
- promotion of physical exercises, various kinds of activities to improve physical health;
- promotion of social participation to improve mental and psychological health through UTAs, inter-generational relations programme, mutual help among neighbors, Silver-age human resources development
4\ Economic policy
- emphasis on economic development with more resources to allocate to ageing;
- enforcement of collection of contribution from employers and employees to the social security fund;
- establishment of a special Social Insurance Fund to invest for profit in order to prepare for the future challenge of ageing
5\ Future development
- Messages from the 17th Congress of the Communist Party of China in October:
High priority has been given to social development, particularly the wellbeing of the ordinary people including public education, health care, social security, housing etc while stressing the importance of economic development.
- The newly appointed Finance Minister of China said recently: "Will increase the investment in public services: to speed up the establishment of social security system which will cover the whole population both in urban and rural areas; to improve the Basic Living Standard Security for the urban citizens and the Basic Old Age Security Programme for the employees; steadily push forward the Basic Living: Standard Security in the rural areas; fully support the reform of the medical care system; Implement the rural collaborative medical care system all over the country."
IV. Aged Care Programme in China
- Love Heart Nursing Programme
Background information
Programme design and planning
Current development
V. Opportunities for Australian aged care organizations to cooperate with China
1\ Overview of Australian and China cooperation and exchanges in the field of ageing:
- government
- non-government
- academic field
- exchanges of older people
2\ what China needs for ageing issues
- strategies to deal with ageing
- experiences and lessons in policies and regulations in addressing specific areas of ageing
- management
- professional training
- services and products for the older people
