China's elderly number 167 million in 2009

The number of people aged 60 or above amounted to 167 million in 2009, accounting for 12.5 percent of the total population, according to statistics released by China National Commission on Aging on Tuesday.

Compared with 2008, the number of elderly people saw a net growth of 7.25 million, an increase of 0.5 percentage points.

The statistics also show that the average life expectancy in 2009 was more than 73 years old, and over 18.99 million elderly are 80 years old or above.

It is estimated that during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), the elderly population will exceed 200 million, accounting for more than 15 percent of the total population.

By People's Daily Online