More than 60% of Chinese over 60 are empty nesters, survey finds

The poll, conducted every five years by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, found that people in the age bracket were also less dependent on their children. The average number of children per household dropped by 0.6 over the decade to 2021 – to 2.6 children – as a result of the one-child policy introduced in the late 1970s.

Some 130,000 people aged 60 and above took part in the survey in August 2021.

It also found that nearly half of those willing to live in nursing homes could afford to pay up to 1,000 yuan (US$140) in monthly fees. That would put most aged care facilities out of reach in China’s big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where the cost is more than 5,000 yuan a month.

“China’s traditional way – relying on children to support their elderly parents – is being seriously challenged,” the National Committee on Ageing, which is affiliated with the ministry, wrote in the survey report released last week.

“The rapid growth of the empty-nest elderly population calls for better care services and coordinated policies to improve their well-being.”

The world’s second-largest economy is grappling with an economic slowdown and the mounting pressures of a rapidly greying population alongside a shrinking workforce.

In 2023, the number of people aged 60 and above reached 297 million, accounting for more than 21 per cent of the total population, according to official data. The population aged 65 and over exceeded 217 million, making up 15.4 per cent of the total.