Adapting health, economic and social policies to address population aging in China

Lists

Fang, Evandro .F., Fang, Yuan, Chen, Goubing, Wang, He-Ling, Zhang, Jianying, Wu, Chenkai, Liao, Jing, Xie, Chenglong, Liu, Xiaoting, Wang, Kan, Liu, Yang, Yang, Guang, Wang, Qian, He, Long-Tao, Li, Jun, Chen, Hou-Zao, Kang, Lin, Jiang, Yawen, Su, Huanxing, Jiang, Hong, He, Na, Tao, Jun, Leng, Sean Xiao, Siow, Richard C., Liu, Chunrong, Khan, Hafiz T.A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1817-3730, Liu, Yuanli, Kato, Hisaya, Sasaki, Takashi, Kim, Jong In, Maier, Aandrea Britta, Zhang, Lin, Rasmussen, Lene Juel, Woo, Jean, Wu, Jing and Zou, Huanchun (2025) Adapting health, economic and social policies to address population aging in China. Nature Ageing.

[thumbnail of Adapting health, economic and social policies to address population aging in China_AM_KhanHTA.pdf] PDF
Adapting health, economic and social policies to address population aging in China_AM_KhanHTA.pdf - Accepted Version
Restricted to Repository staff only until 30 April 2026.
Download (773kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Despite its rapid economic rise over the past four decades, China now grapples with the challenge of accommodating and supporting its expanding aging population. In 2020, 18% of its population were over age 60, and 2.5% were over age 80, projected to rise to 39% and 10%, respectively, by 2050. This demographic shift places China at the forefront of diverse individual, familial and societal challenges. Here, we review these challenges in the context of emerging breakthroughs in basic and translational research, shifts in healthcare paradigms, evolving socioeconomic and political dynamics, and policy innovations. We synthesize China’s current policies toward promoting healthy longevity in the general population, focusing on social health insurance, long-term care insurance, community and home-based care and palliative care, as well as gerontological research, public health prevention, nutritional and medical interventions, while identifying strengths and gaps. Finally, we propose suggestions to promote a more inclusive, resilient and happier aging society within China’s distinctive sociopolitical and cultural context.

Item Type: Article
Identifier: 10.1038/s43587-025-00999-8
Keywords: population ageing; policy discussion; social health insurance; long-term care; healthy ageing; healthspan; lifespan.
Subjects: Medicine and health > Health promotion and public health
Medicine and health
Date Deposited: 03 Nov 2025
URI: https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14229
Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item
References
Tools
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

Menu