Large portion of Chinese seniors ‘empty nesters’   

中国城市与农村老人空巢率分别达49.7%和38.3%

根据调查和统计，目前，中国城市老人的空巢率接近一半，达到49.7%，农村过去没有这种现象，但随着农民工大量外出务工，农村老人空巢率也达到38.3%，并且上升速度比城市更快。

Beijing (CNS) -- Nearly half of urban senior citizens live apart from their children, while about 38 percent of seniors in rural areas also live in "empty nests" because their offspring have moved to cities to work, said Yan Qingchun, deputy director of the National Committee on Aging, at a symposium held here on Friday.

However, the proportion of empty-nest families in rural areas is growing fast, said Yan, adding that these seniors not only need emotional care, but also more sound community service.

About 7.21 million people aged 60 and above have high demands for comfortable lives, so there is great potential for development in housing, medical care, food, sports, entertainment, tourism and education, said Liu Changxi, a professor at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.