China's basic medical insurance coverage rises by 4 million by May

(ECNS) -- China's basic medical insurance coverage increased by more than 4 million people year over year by the end of May, while the coverage rate remained stable at 95%, officials from the National Healthcare Security Administration said Thursday.

At a regular press conference, the officials said enrollment in the country's basic medical insurance system remained stable and continued to grow in the first half of 2026.

By the end of 2025, about 1.331 billion people nationwide were covered by basic medical insurance, an increase of 4.07 million from a year earlier, with the coverage rate remaining at 95%.

China's basic medical insurance enrollment structure also continued to improve, the administration said. Among those covered, 389 million people were enrolled in employee basic medical insurance, an increase of 9.0778 million from the previous year, or 2.4%.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), enrollment in employee basic medical insurance increased by an average of 8.8 million people a year, with an average annual growth rate of 2.4%.

The basic medical insurance fund remained generally stable. In 2025, the fund, including maternity insurance, recorded 3.59 trillion yuan in revenue and 3.01 trillion yuan in expenditure.

The number of basic medical insurance benefit uses reached 8.753 billion in 2025, up 4.9% year over year.

(By intern Wu Jingjing)