At the international symposium on "Demographic and Economic Analysis of China's Old-age Policy in 2 1 century" sponsored by the Institute of Population and Labor Economics of China Academy of Social Sciences and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the latest research report "Silver Hair China" submitted by CSIS attracted great attention from the participants. The report said: "Thirty-five years ago, the ratio of children to the elderly population in China was 6: 1, but in the next 35 years, this ratio will be reversed, and the elderly population will be twice as large as the children population. The life expectancy of the population has increased from 4 1 year in 1949 to 70 years now. On the other hand, the number of working people has also dropped significantly. By 2050, the total working population in China will be reduced 18%-35% compared with the current one. The decline in the birth rate and the extension of life expectancy are two basic forces that promote the aging of China and the decline in the relative number of working people. " And also solemnly pointed out: "China is about to experience an amazing demographic transition, and a young country is about to age."

The so-called population aging refers to the increase in the relative proportion of the elderly in the total population. According to internationally accepted standards, the proportion of the elderly over 60 years old or over 65 years old in the total population exceeds 10% and 7%, which can be regarded as an aging population. In 2003, the proportion of people over 60 years old in the total population has reached 1 1%, and the problem of population aging is about to become an unprecedented new challenge in China.

The government of China attaches great importance to and solves the problem of population aging, actively develops the cause of aging, and initially forms a pattern of government-led, social participation and national concern for the development of the cause of aging. The state has established the National Working Committee on Ageing, which has defined the objectives, tasks and basic policies of the work on ageing. The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly was promulgated, and the Outline of the Tenth Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Elderly in China was formulated, which clearly incorporated the cause of the elderly into the overall economic and social development plan and the sustainable development strategy. The basic livelihood of the elderly has been guaranteed, and the city has initially established an endowment insurance system, a medical insurance system and a minimum living security system for residents, including the elderly; Rural areas implement an old-age security system based on land security and combining family support with social support. Many places have also taken special measures to help the poor and the elderly. The aged care service has developed rapidly. The China Municipal Government has revised the Code for Architectural Design of the Elderly, the Code for Design of Urban Roads and Building Obstacles and other related laws and regulations to facilitate the life and travel of the elderly. Community health stations, care centers, activity centers for the elderly, schools for the elderly, leisure squares for the elderly and other elderly service facilities have gradually increased, and the number of volunteers serving the elderly has been growing.