As Beijing population ages, 24.5 percent now 60 or older

(ECNS) - Beijing is facing rapid growth in its elderly population, with 3.33 million residents aged 60 or older registered at the end of 2017, up from 2.63 million in 2012, according to a new report.

A white paper released by a committee of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs said the capital is now China's second oldest city, with 24.5 percent of residents 60 years or older. Of those, an average of 120 turn 80 years or older each day.

Projections estimate that by 2020 the number of elderly Beijing residents will surpass 3.8 million and the number of permanent residents aged 60 years and older will exceed 4 million.

The white paper shows the proportion of those aged 80 and above increased from 3.1 percent of the total population in 2012 to 4.1 percent in 2017.

In 2017, the average life expectancy of Beijing residents was 82.15 years, with 79.98 for men and 84.41 for women. The number of centenarians increased from 544 in 2012 to 833 in 2017. 

Beijing’s Fengtai District has the highest percentage of aged people, about 29.2 percent, in comparison with the lowest percentage in Daxing District, at 20.6 percent. 

From 2012 to 2017, the ratio of elderly people per 100 persons of working age in Beijing increased from 29.4 to 39.7. 

The latest data show that Beijing had a population of 21.7 million in 2016. Among them, 13.6 million people had certified Beijing registration papers, with the rest being permanent residents who migrated from other areas.