China's life expectancy to rise to over 80 by 2035

Specifically, the average life expectancy of Chinese people is predicted to increase to 81.3 years by 2035, with women in some wealthy areas reaching 90 years old, according to a paper published in The Lancet Public Health journal last week.

China's population life expectancy to increase to over 80 by 2035 figure 1 — Chinese people are predicted to have an average life expectancy of more than 80 by 2035. Illustration photo: GI

Women in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang will have at least a 50 percent chance of surpassing the age of 90 by 2035, according to research led by Professor Zhou Maigeng, deputy director of the National Center for Chronic and Non-Communicable Disease Control.

China's rapidly aging population has created concerns for its economic growth and overall prosperity, with a soaring number of retirees and a shrinking pool of young workers putting further strain on the health care system.

The National Health Commission announced last year that China's average life expectancy will be around 78 in 2021, higher than the US, which stands at 76.1. China is expected to have more than 400 million people - roughly the current population of the US and UK combined - aged 60 or older by 2035.

A range of policies have been implemented or are being considered to address the looming demographic crisis, including encouraging couples to have three children and delaying the retirement age. Increased life expectancy may be linked to lower fertility and lower infant mortality.

China's current retirement age is among the lowest in the world at 60 for men and 55 for white-collar women and 50 for female factory workers.

The researchers noted that women in China are expected to live an average of 85.1 years in 2035 and men to 78.1 years, with the gap widening from 6.2 years in 2019. The study found that in areas with levels of social development comparable to high-income countries, Chinese life expectancy has recently surpassed that of South Korea and the United States.

Life expectancy has increased from 35 when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 to 78.2 in 2021, according to China's National Health Commission. According to the World Bank, Hong Kong, Macau and Japan had the highest average life expectancy in the world in 2020, at 85 years.

Mai Van (according to SCMP, AP)

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