According to the latest population sampling survey done by the province, some 960,000 people in the hinterland province are over the age of 60. And people above the age of 80 account for 1.71 percent of the 93 million people in the province.

Liu Junzhe, an expert on population, was shocked by the fast growth of the aged population in the province, saying that in the future there would be more senior citizens than young people in the province.

Henan will become the home to the most numerous aged people in China around the year 2040 when one out of every four to five people will be 60 or above, he said.

Experts from the survey team suggested that the provincial government work out policies as soon as possible to deal with the issue of the elderly such as pension system, basic medicare, and a social welfare system.

Shanghai is the first municipality in China which has entered the aging society. Fourteen municipalities and provinces, including Beijing, Guangdong and Sichuan, have also joined the rank of aging society, which normally means people aged above 60 make up more than 10 percent of the whole population.

(People’s Daily)