Since 1970, the median age of China’s population has continued to increase from around ** years to around **** years in 2020. According to estimates from the United Nations, the increasing trend will slow down when the median age will reach ** years in the middle of the 21st century and will remain at around ** years up to 2100. China’s aging population Although the median age of China’s population is still lower than in many developed countries, for example in Japan, the consequences of a rapidly aging population have already become a concern for the country’s future. As the most populated country in the world, the large labor force in China contributed to the country’s astonishing economic growth in the last decades. Nowadays however, the aging population is going to become a burden for China’s social welfare system and could change China’s economic situation. Reasons for the aging population Like in many other countries, increasing life expectancy is regarded as the main reason for the aging of the population. As healthcare and living standards have improved, life expectancy in China has also increased. In addition, the one-child policy led to a decreasing fertility rate in China, which further increased the share of older people in the society. Even though the one-child policy has been abolished in 2016, many young people are refraining from having children, largely due to the high costs of raising a child, career pressure and the pursuit of freedom.

According to the age distribution of China's population in 2024, approximately 68.6 percent of the population were in their working age between 15 and 64 years of age. Retirees aged 65 years and above made up about 15.6 percent of the total population. Age distribution in China As can be seen from this statistic, the age pyramid in China has been gradually shifting towards older demographics during the past decade. Mainly due to low birth rates in China, the age group of 0 to 14 year-olds has remained at around 16 to 17 percent since 2010, whereas the age groups 65 years and over have seen growth of nearly seven percentage points. Thus, the median age of the Chinese population has been constantly rising since 1970 and is forecast to reach 52 years by 2050. Accompanied by a slightly growing mortality rate of more than 7 per thousand, China is showing strong signs of an aging population. China's aging society The impact of this severe change in demographics is the subject of an ongoing scientific discussion. Rising standards of living in China contain the demand for better health care and pension insurance for retirees, which will be hard to meet with the social insurance system in China still being in its infancy. Per capita expenditure on medical care and services of urban households has grown more than ninefold since 2000 with a clear and distinctive upward trend for the near future. As for social security spending, public pension expenditure is forecast to take up approximately nine percent of China's GDP by 2050.

China Population: Age 20 to 24 data was reported at 73.696 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 73.629 Person th for 2022. China Population: Age 20 to 24 data is updated yearly, averaging 90.654 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 127,412.518 Person th in 2010 and a record low of 61.519 Person th in 2019. China Population: Age 20 to 24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Sex.

In the world's most populous country, life expectancy has been continuously rising over the last decades, benefitting greatly from China's economic ascendance. In 2022, average life expectancy at birth in China reached about 78.6 years. Life expectancy at birth Life expectancy at birth refers to the average number of years a group of people born in the same year would live, assuming constant mortality rates. San Marino and Monaco had the highest life expectancy at birth, while China had reached a life expectancy above global average. People who were born in San Marino or Monaco in 2023 had a life expectancy of approximately 87 years or 86 years on average respectively. Demographic development in China Whereas average life expectancy at birth has been growing steadily, birth rates in China have been experiencing a slowdown. In 2024, about 6.77 babies had been born per 1,000 women in China, the second lowest point in the recent decade. As a result of low fertility rates and the extended life expectancy in China, the share of elderly people had been rising rapidly. The number of Chinese population aged 60 and older had more than doubled over the past three decades and is projected to reach its peak at 504 million in 2050. People aged 60 and older have been estimated to account for approximately one fourth of China’s total population by 2030, indicating a sharp climb from just around 13 percent in 2010. In order to pinpoint this massive shift in the age pyramid of China, an important indicator for measuring the pressure of aging population on productive population may be consulted. The old-age dependency ratio in China was expected to reach 52.3 percent in 2050.

Population: Age 15 to 64: Shanghai data was reported at 18.555 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 18.138 Person th for 2022. Population: Age 15 to 64: Shanghai data is updated yearly, averaging 15.618 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18,705.024 Person th in 2010 and a record low of 10.477 Person th in 1999. Population: Age 15 to 64: Shanghai data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Region.

This statistic shows the leading countries with the highest projected median age in 2050. By 2050, the Republic of Korea is projected to have the population with the highest median age, at 56.5 years.

Population: City: Age 15 to 64: Anhui data was reported at 13.705 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.631 Person th for 2022. Population: City: Age 15 to 64: Anhui data is updated yearly, averaging 8.738 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,787.862 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 3.193 Person th in 2002. Population: City: Age 15 to 64: Anhui data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Region: City.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by continent using the aggregation average, weighted by population in China. The data is about countries per year.

China Migrant Worker: Average Age data was reported at 43.200 Year Old in Dec 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 43.100 Year Old for Dec 2023. China Migrant Worker: Average Age data is updated quarterly, averaging 39.700 Year Old from Dec 2008 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43.200 Year Old in Dec 2024 and a record low of 34.000 Year Old in Dec 2008. China Migrant Worker: Average Age data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GB: Migrant Worker.

This bar chart displays median age (year) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by population in China. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Population: Age 15 to 64: Guangdong data was reported at 96.407 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 93.262 Person th for 2022. Population: Age 15 to 64: Guangdong data is updated yearly, averaging 67.753 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91,449.628 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 45.169 Person th in 1999. Population: Age 15 to 64: Guangdong data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Region.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by currency using the aggregation average, weighted by population in China. The data is about countries per year.

The age structure of the population in China varies greatly across different regions. In 2023, only around 9.6 percent of the population in Shanghai municipality was aged 14 years or younger, while this share amounted to 24.4 percent in Tibet.

This bar chart displays median age (year) by demonym using the aggregation average, weighted by population in China. The data is about countries per year.

Population: County: Age 65 and Above: Hainan data was reported at 0.550 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.527 Person th for 2022. Population: County: Age 65 and Above: Hainan data is updated yearly, averaging 0.382 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 499.994 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 0.272 Person th in 2017. Population: County: Age 65 and Above: Hainan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Region: Rural.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the China household income by age. The dataset can be utilized to understand the age-based income distribution of China income.

Content

The dataset will have the following datasets when applicable

Please note: The 2020 1-Year ACS estimates data was not reported by the Census Bureau due to the impact on survey collection and analysis caused by COVID-19. Consequently, median household income data for 2020 is unavailable for large cities (population 65,000 and above).

• China, TX annual median income by age groups dataset (in 2022 inflation-adjusted dollars)
• Age-wise distribution of China, TX household incomes: Comparative analysis across 16 income brackets

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Interested in deeper insights and visual analysis?

Explore our comprehensive data analysis and visual representations for a deeper understanding of China income distribution by age. You can refer the same here

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against female population (people) in China. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against individuals using the Internet (% of population) in China. The data is filtered where the date is 2023. The data is about countries per year.

Hong Kong Labour Force: Three Months Average: Age 25 to 44 data was reported at 1,917,000.000 Person in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,911,700.000 Person for Sep 2018. Hong Kong Labour Force: Three Months Average: Age 25 to 44 data is updated monthly, averaging 1,913,700.000 Person from Dec 1981 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 353 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,054,300.000 Person in Oct 2001 and a record low of 1,104,600.000 Person in Dec 1981. Hong Kong Labour Force: Three Months Average: Age 25 to 44 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census and Statistics Department. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.G014: Labour Force: GHS: RPA.

With after-sales services and vehicle maintenance improvement, passenger cars grew to *** years old on average in 2020, yet comparatively younger than the European and North American markets. China's average age of passenger vehicles was projected to increase steadily to *** years by 2030.