PUBLISHED DECISION GUIDE

National Development Plan for Elderly Care: A Guide to Improved Pension and Healthcare Systems

New measures in China's 13th Five-Year Plan aim to improve elderly care services, increase private sector participation, and address the aging population's needs.

China's top development plan includes specific targets to improve elderly care services, demonstrating the government's commitment to tackling the challenges of an aging population. Officials highlight that these measures will expand service options and improve healthcare coordination for seniors.

Review state
Human reviewed
Last reviewed
Aug 18, 2026
Applicability
MAINLAND_CHINA
Public sources
1

Independently written English guidance based on cited public sources. Every public guide is human reviewed; it is not an official translation of the source publisher.

Official Commitment to Elderly Care

China's national development plan, the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), incorporates improving elderly care services as a key measure to address an aging population. Zhu Yaoyin, deputy director of the general office of the National Working Commission on Aging, stated that this integration is part of top leadership's key measures.

Population Trends and Implications

In the last year, 230 million Chinese, or 16.7 percent of the population, were over 60 years old. The current ratio of working-age people (16-60) to the retired population is 2.8-to-1, but this is projected to drop to 1.33-to-1 by 2050, according to Jia Jiang, deputy director of pension insurance for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Expanding Service Options through Private Capital

The plan states that private capital and nongovernment organizations will have more access to the elderly care services market, aiming to provide seniors with more diverse service options. Additionally, the number of beds for the elderly in public institutions is expected to increase.

Public sources

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This guide received human editorial review. Use its public sources and review date to assess the current information boundary.

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