By Wu Jun, Zhang Wenhao,
At a recent press conference on people's livelihood, Lei Haichao, head of China's National Health Commission, announced that the average life expectancy of Chinese citizens reached 79 years in 2024, marking a 0.4-year increase from 2023 and achieving the target set by China's 14th Five-Year Plan(2021-2025) ahead of schedule.
Life expectancy is a hypothetical metric indicating the average number of years a newborn is projected to live if current age-specific mortality rates remain constant.
Wu Jian, head of Zhengzhou University's College of Public Health, clarified that life expectancy differs from average lifespan: "Life expectancy is a predictive estimate based on existing healthcare conditions and mortality patterns. It rises as medical advancements reduce mortality rates."
Wu emphasized that life expectancy serves as a critical indicator of population health, reflecting societal progress in healthcare, environmental hygiene, and quality of life.
Lei highlighted China's global standing: among 53 upper-middle income countries, China ranks fourth in life expectancy; within the G20, it places tenth. Notably, China's life expectancy surpasses that of 21 high-income nations, a result Lei attributed to traditional Chinese health practices and lifestyle choices.
Eight provincial-level regions -- Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Hainan -- have achieved life expectancies exceeding 80 years. "China holds clear potential for further gains in longevity," Lei noted, "as public demand for health improvements grows and sustained efforts remain essential."
Zhang Shuijun, chief physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, linked the longevity gains to China's socioeconomic development and healthcare advancements, underscoring the role of national medical insurance policies and the Healthy China initiative. However, he cautioned that rising life expectancy also signals an expanding elderly population. By the end of 2024, China's population aged 60 and above had surpassed 310 million.
To address aging-related challenges, China issued a document on deepening reform and development of elderly care services in December last year. The document outlined a comprehensive framework for establishing a elderly care system tailored to China's conditions, ensuring better protection for the aging population.
Key measures for reforming elderly care services include accelerating the development of a three-tier urban-rural care network: establishing county-level integrated service platforms, township- and street-level regional care centers, and community-based care stations. This aims to create a "15-minute elderly care service accessibility" system.
The reforms also focus on coordinating home-based, community, and institutional care models to provide demand-driven, integrated medical and elderly services. These include meal services, medical support, personal hygiene assistance, and emergency response services.
Additionally, care institutions will be categorized into three types: basic social security, publicly subsidized, and market-driven models, thereby meeting diverse elderly care needs.
Senior residents have lunch in a community cafeteria in Fudong neighborhood, Ruichang, east China's Jiangxi province. (Photo by Wei Dongsheng/People's Daily Online)
Senior citizens take a dancing lesson in a senior university in Suqian, east China's Jiangsu province. (Photo by Xu Jianghai/People's Daily Online)
An AI-assisted elderly care robot tests blood pressure for a senior resident in a social service center in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province. (Photo by Long Wei/People's Daily Online)
