With nearly 300 million elderly people, how can the silver economy open a new blue ocean?

Population aging is a common trend of human social development, and it is also a basic national condition of our country for a long time to come. According to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's population aged 60 and above exceeded 296 million by the end of 2023, with a large elderly population base and a fast aging rate.

 

How to address the challenges of aging and improve the well-being of the elderly? How to meet the rapidly growing diversified needs of elderly care? How to lay out the new industry of silver economy? Xinhua News Agency reporters recently visited many places to investigate the development of the silver economy and prospects.

 

How to better solve the "silver family" emergency and worry?

 

At the beginning of this year, The General Office of the State Council issued the "No. 1 document" focusing on the silver economy, and the Opinions on Developing the Silver economy to Improve the well-being of the Elderly became the first special document supporting the development of the silver economy in China. This year's government work report proposed "implementing the national strategy of actively responding to the aging population" and "vigorously developing the silver economy."

 

Han Ruidong, assistant researcher of the macro Office of the Forecasting Department of the State Information Center, said that around the transformation of old residential areas, aging of families, aging of public facilities, aging of smart technology, etc., the aging transformation of the economy and society will also generate huge investment and consumer demand.

 

The development of the silver economy is not only related to the needs of people's livelihood, but also breeds development opportunities.

 

How to lay out potential industries?

 

The silver economy involves a wide range, a long industrial chain and diversified business forms. China's silver economy is in its infancy. Zhang Shixin, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that at this stage, the relevant industries are mainly concentrated in basic old-age services such as catering, nursing and health care, and the diversified, differentiated and personalized needs of the elderly have not been effectively met, which contains huge development opportunities.

 

China has clearly proposed that we should vigorously cultivate potential industries such as elderly products, smart and healthy elderly care, rehabilitation AIDS, anti-aging, old-age finance, elderly tourism services, and age-appropriate transformation.

 

Form a joint force to create a "sunrise industry"

 

Li Lu, a researcher at the Institute of Social Development of the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said that it is necessary to adhere to the problem orientation, coordinate the promotion of different sectors and functions such as "for the old + prepare for the old", "consumption + investment", "solving urgent difficulties and worries + cultivating potential industries", and build a policy system to support the innovative development of the silver economy.

 

Guard the "sunset cause" and create a "sunrise industry". With the joint efforts of all parties, the silver economy will usher in a new stage of rapid development and full success.

 

(From: Xinhua News Agency)