{"id":8117,"date":"2021-07-07T07:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T07:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=8117"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:52:16","slug":"chinas-ageing-population-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/chinas-ageing-population-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Can good design solve China’s ageing population problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As China’s ageing population becomes more of an issue, products that offer solutions to such problems are becoming a hot topic at events such as the upcoming Design Intelligence Awards \u2014 applications for which close on 9 July <\/span>\u2014 writes Robynne Tindall<\/span><\/h2>\n

The results of China\u2019s 2020 census<\/a> showed that the population is ageing rapidly. There are now 264 million people over the age of 65 in China, accounting for 13.5% of the 1.4 billion population, an increase of 4.6% from the 2010 census. While the share of older people in the population is still lower than in neighbouring countries like Japan and South Korea, the pace of ageing in China is likely to continue to accelerate over the next two to three decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This problem is not unique to China, and it creates a growing challenge for governments, both in terms of how to maintain a sustainable working-age population and how to care for the growing number of older adults. In 2020, China\u2019s Social Security Administration predicted that its pension fund could be depleted by as early as 2035 unless remedial measures were taken, and there is also a lack of nursing home provision, especially at the more affordable end of the spectrum. According to a 2019 China Daily article, only 3% of Shanghai\u2019s elderly population lives in a nursing home, with 90% living at home. However, as the post-one child policy<\/a> generations mature, there are fewer family members available to look after older people at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, recently announced that it is recruiting a group of people over the age of 60 to advise on how to make its app more accessible and appealing to older people<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Companies from a wide range of sectors are coming up with hardware and software solutions to address these problems. The Healthy Ageing Challenge, one of UK Research and Innovation organisation\u2019s projects, is investing up to \u00a398 million in healthy ageing, and has identified seven themes that offer the greatest potential to stimulate innovation in the pursuit of longer, healthier lives: <\/span><\/p>\n