China's elderly population exceeds 230m

BEIJING -- China had more than 230.8 million people aged 60 or above at the end of 2016, 16.7 percent of the total population, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Thursday.

Of the 230.8 million, 150.03 million were 65 or above, or 10.8 percent of the total population, according to a report released by the ministry.

By international standards, a country or region is considered to be an "aging society" when the number of people aged 60 or above reaches 10 percent or more.H The country had 140,000 nursing homes holding a total of more than 7.3 million beds at the end of 2016, with a year-on-year increase of 20.7 percent and 8.6 percent respectively. However, there are only 31.6 beds for every 1,000 senior citizens.

According to the report, China had about 460,000 orphans at the end of 2016, with 88,000 living in government-funded agencies, with the rest being cared for by relatives or private orphanages.

Some 19,000 Chinese orphans were adopted by domestic or overseas families in 2016, the ministry said.