China faces grim challenges to cope with ageing population: official

[12 December 2006 - People's Daily Online] China is facing an increasing social security burden with the rapid growth of its ageing population, a Chinese official said Tuesday. "The ratio between the active employees and the retired will reach 2.5:1 in 2020," said Li Bengong, executive deputy director of the China National Committee on Aging. Li said the figure in 1990 was 10:1 and had dropped into 3:1 in 2003, bringing a "great challenge" to China's social welfare and service system. A white paper issued Tuesday said that by the end of 2005, China had nearly 144 million people aged over 60, accounting for 11 percent of its population. The number is still rising by three percent every year. More