Beijing projected to have one in three residents aged 60 or older by 2035

Around one in three residents of Beijing, China's capital, is expected to be aged 60 or above by 2035. That figure is a projection of the city's future population.

At the end of last year, Beijing had 5.29 million permanent residents aged 60 and above, accounting for almost a quarter of its population.

The city government is stepping up support for elderly residents. Its measures include raising the basic pension.

Across China, the population has been shrinking since 2022 and is aging rapidly. That shift complicates government plans to increase domestic consumption and rein in debt, with hundreds of millions of people set to leave the workforce while pension budgets are already stretched.

Demographers and economists argue that fewer children today could translate into fewer households and slower growth in consumption over time.