The Chinese capital Beijing is expected to become “super-aged” by 2035, with around one-third ​of its population aged 60 and above, ‌the official Beijing Daily reported.

Chinese policymakers have made population planning a key part of the country’s economic strategy, and this year the government faces a total potential cost of around 180 billion yuan ($26.92 billion) to boost births, according to Reuters estimates.

  • One in every three residents of the Chinese ​capital will be aged 60 or above by 2035, the Beijing Daily reported on Saturday.
  • Beijing had 5.29 million ​permanent residents aged 60 and above at the ​end of last year, almost one-quarter of its population, the ‌newspaper ⁠said.
  • The city’s government is stepping up support for elderly residents, including raising the basic pension, the report added.
  • China’s population has been shrinking since ​2022 and ​is ageing ⁠rapidly, complicating government plans to boost domestic consumption and rein in debt, ​with hundreds of millions of people ​set ⁠to leave the workforce at a time when pension budgets are already stretched.
  • Demographers and economists argue that fewer children today could mean fewer households and slower consumption growth over time.