Beijing : Beijing is expected to become a super aged society by 2035, when more than one third of its residents could be aged 60 or older, according to a report published by the city's authorities. The projection highlights the growing challenge of an ageing population in China's capital as the country faces falling birth rates and a shrinking population.
At the end of 2025, Beijing had 5.288 million permanent residents aged 60 and above, accounting for 24.3 per cent of its permanent population. The proportion is expected to rise to more than 33 per cent by 2035, placing greater demands on healthcare, pension support and services for older people.
The city is expanding its elderly care facilities and community services as it prepares for this demographic change. Measures include financial assistance for older residents, additional home based care and improvements to medical services for age related health needs.
The ageing trend in Beijing reflects a wider change across China, where the number of older people continues to increase while the total population declines. This demographic shift is raising concerns about the future workforce, public spending and the ability of families and communities to care for older relatives.
China's population stood at 1.40489 billion at the end of 2025, a decrease of 3.39 million from the previous year. The country recorded 7.92 million births in 2025, down from 9.54 million in 2024.
Official figures also showed that 323.38 million people in China were aged 60 or older at the end of 2025, representing 23 per cent of the national population. Of these, 223.65 million people were aged 65 or above, accounting for 15.9 per cent of the population.
The combination of declining births and a growing older population presents a long term challenge for China. A smaller younger generation could mean fewer people entering the workforce, while increasing numbers of older residents could require more pension payments, healthcare services and long term care.
However, the effects will depend on several factors, including productivity, employment patterns, retirement policies and the ability of public services to respond to changing needs. Population ageing does not automatically lead to economic decline, but it requires governments to prepare for changes in the needs of their residents.
Beijing has already expanded support for older people. The city reported distributing approximately 3.51 billion yuan in elderly care subsidies during 2025. The support was recorded across nearly 11.958 million instances of benefit or service provision, rather than representing the number of unique recipients.
The capital also has more than 1,500 community elderly care service stations, 168 regional elderly care service centres and nearly 3,000 registered meal service locations for older people. These facilities provide services intended to help older residents receive assistance closer to their homes.
Beijing has also reported 620 registered elderly care institutions with a total of 155,000 care beds. As part of its plans to expand support, the city aims to establish 30,000 additional home based elderly care beds over the next three years.
The authorities are also seeking to strengthen healthcare for older residents. Beijing aims to ensure that more than 95 per cent of secondary and higher level general hospitals have geriatric medicine departments by 2030. These departments can help address the medical needs associated with ageing, including conditions that require continuing treatment and care.
The expansion of services will become increasingly important as more residents reach retirement age and require assistance with daily activities or medical treatment. Community based care may also help older people remain in their homes for longer, although the availability and cost of services will influence how effectively this approach meets their needs.
China has introduced measures to encourage births and provide financial support to families as it seeks to address its demographic challenges. However, the decline in births recorded in 2025 shows that reversing the trend remains difficult.
The future cost of supporting an ageing population will depend on the demand for pensions, healthcare and social care, as well as the effectiveness of government policies. The precise number of older residents Beijing will have in 2035 remains uncertain, and the projection will depend on demographic changes over the coming years.
For Beijing, the expected rise in the share of older residents makes long term planning increasingly important. Expanding care facilities, strengthening medical services and ensuring that financial support reaches those who need it will be central to the city's response as China adjusts to a population with a growing proportion of older people.