Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Beijing, China metro area from 1950 to 2025.

As of 2023, the bulk of the Chinese population was aged between 25 and 59 years, amounting to around half of the population. A breakdown of the population by broad age groups reveals that around 61.3 percent of the total population was in working age between 16 and 59 years in 2023. Age cohorts below 25 years were considerably smaller, although there was a slight growth trend in recent years. Population development in China Population development in China over the past decades has been strongly influenced by political and economic factors. After a time of high fertility rates during the Maoist regime, China introduced birth-control measures in the 1970s, including the so-called one-child policy. The fertility rate dropped accordingly from around six children per woman in the 1960s to below two at the end of the 20th century. At the same time, life expectancy increased consistently. In the face of a rapidly aging society, the government gradually lifted the one-child policy after 2012, finally arriving at a three-child policy in 2021. However, like in most other developed countries nowadays, people in China are reluctant to have more than one or two children due to high costs of living and education, as well as changed social norms and private values. China’s top-heavy age pyramid The above-mentioned developments are clearly reflected in the Chinese age pyramid. The age cohorts between 30 and 39 years are the last two larger age cohorts. The cohorts between 15 and 24, which now enter childbearing age, are decisively smaller, which will have a negative effect on the number of births in the coming decade. When looking at a gender distribution of the population pyramid, a considerable gender gap among the younger age cohorts becomes visible, leaving even less room for growth in birth figures.

In 2024, there were around 719 million male inhabitants and 689 million female inhabitants living in China, amounting to around 1.41 billion people in total. China's total population decreased for the first time in decades in 2022, and population decline is expected to accelerate in the upcoming years. Birth control in China From the beginning of the 1970s on, having many children was no longer encouraged in mainland China. The one-child policy was then introduced in 1979 to control the total size of the Chinese population. According to the one-child policy, a married couple was only allowed to have one child. With the time, modifications were added to the policy, for example parents living in rural areas were allowed to have a second child if the first was a daughter, and most ethnic minorities were excepted from the policy. Population ageing The birth control led to a decreasing birth rate in China and a more skewed gender ratio of new births due to boy preference. Since the negative economic and social effects of an aging population were more and more felt in China, the one-child policy was considered an obstacle for the country’s further economic development. Since 2014, the one-child policy has been gradually relaxed and fully eliminated at the end of 2015. However, many young Chinese people are not willing to have more children due to high costs of raising a child, especially in urban areas.

Japan’s largest city, greater Tokyo, had a staggering ***** million inhabitants in 2023, making it the most populous city across the Asia-Pacific region. India had the second largest city after Japan with a population consisting of approximately ** million inhabitants. Contrastingly, approximately *** thousand inhabitants populated Papua New Guinea's largest city in 2023. A megacity regionNot only did Japan and India have the largest cities throughout the Asia-Pacific region but they were among the three most populated cities worldwide in 2023. Interestingly, over half on the world’s megacities were situated in the Asia-Pacific region. However, being home to more than half of the world’s population, it does not seem surprising that by 2025 it is expected that more than two thirds of the megacities across the globe will be located in the Asia Pacific region. Other megacities are also expected to emerge within the Asia-Pacific region throughout the next decade. There have even been suggestions that Indonesia’s Jakarta and its conurbation will overtake Greater Tokyo in terms of population size by 2030. Increasing populationsIncreased populations in megacities can be down to increased economic activity. As more countries across the Asia-Pacific region have made the transition from agriculture to industry, the population has adjusted accordingly. Thus, more regions have experienced higher shares of urban populations. However, as many cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul have an aging population, this may have an impact on their future population sizes, with these Asian regions estimated to have significant shares of the population being over 65 years old by 2035.

The China assisted living market is experiencing robust growth, driven by an aging population, increasing disposable incomes, and a rising awareness of senior care needs. With a CAGR exceeding 12% since 2019 and a projected market size of (estimated) $XX million in 2025, this sector presents significant investment opportunities. Key drivers include government initiatives promoting senior care infrastructure development, urbanization leading to increased demand for professional care services, and a growing preference for non-family-based living arrangements among older adults. The market is segmented geographically, with Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Chengdu representing significant hubs of activity. Leading players like China Vanke, Sino-Ocean Group, and Taikang Life are actively shaping the market landscape through strategic investments and service innovations. However, challenges remain, including the high cost of high-quality assisted living, limited availability of skilled professionals, and regional disparities in service provision. Future growth will depend on overcoming these restraints through strategic partnerships, technological advancements (such as telehealth integration), and continuous improvement in service standards to meet the evolving needs of an increasingly aging populace. The forecast period (2025-2033) anticipates continued market expansion, fueled by sustained demographic shifts and government policies that aim to improve the overall quality of senior care. While challenges related to staffing and affordability will persist, innovative service models and technological advancements are expected to mitigate some of these pressures. The expansion into secondary and tertiary cities presents a significant avenue for growth, as demand for assisted living solutions expands beyond the major metropolitan areas. Successful players will be those who can adapt quickly to changing regulatory landscapes, deliver cost-effective and high-quality services, and effectively address the diverse needs of their residents. Recent developments include: In September 2021, the Grand Opening of Lendlease's landmark senior living project in Qingpu, Shanghai, was announced. Ardo Gardens provides a welcoming and well-being-focused environment for seniors to live vibrant and active lives, supported by luxury facilities and the best services., In May 2021, New China Life Insurance Co. Ltd opened a new elderly care community in Beijing's Yanqing district, totaling 280,000 sq. m and 2,000 apartments. The community will provide about 200 long-term apartments tailored for the elderly and 100 short-term guest rooms in the project's first phase, along with entertainment, catering, sports, medical care, social exchange, and wealth management services.. Notable trends are: Increase in Senior Population and Life Expectancy.

Market Size and Growth: The China luxury residential real estate market was valued at $146.25 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $170.78 million by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.28% during the forecast period. Strong economic growth, rising disposable incomes, and increasing urbanization are fueling the demand for luxury residential properties in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Key Trends and Drivers: The market is characterized by growing demand for premium amenities, such as smart home systems, rooftop gardens, and concierge services. Government policies are also encouraging the development of luxury residential properties, with increased investment in infrastructure and incentives for foreign investors. Additionally, the rise of the high-net-worth individual (HNWI) population in China and the increasing interest in international buyers are driving the market upwards. However, factors such as strict government regulations, rising construction costs, and limited land supply may pose challenges for the industry. Recent developments include: December 2022: A joint venture led by Shui On Land has won the land-use rights to develop a residential project on a plot in Shanghai’s Yangpu district with a bid of RMB 2.38 billion (USD 340 million). The parties plan to develop the 16,993.8 square metre (182,920 square foot) parcel on Pingliang Street into a heritage preservation project incorporating a high-end, low-density residential community. A wholly owned subsidiary of Shui On holds 60% of the JV, with the remaining 40% held by state-owned developer Shanghai Yangshupu., November 2022: China’s largest lenders ready to pump over USD 162 Billion of credit into the country’s property developers, as Xi Jinping’s government retreats from tight controls on leverage in the real estate sector that had sparked a property crisis. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China’s largest lender by assets, announced it was extending credit lines totalling RMB 655 Billion (USD 92 Billion) to 12 developers.. Key drivers for this market are: 4., Higher incomes support4.; Massive industry change. Potential restraints include: 4., High imbalance in population versus real estate index. Notable trends are: Growth of urbanization driving luxury residential real estate market.

In 2024, the rate of surveyed unemployment in urban areas of China amounted to approximately 5.1 percent. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 5.1 percent in 2025 and the following years. Monthly unemployment ranged at a level of around 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025. Unemployment rate in China In 2017, the National Statistics Bureau of China introduced surveyed unemployment as a new indicator of unemployment in the country. It is based on monthly surveys among the labor force in urban areas of China. Surveyed unemployment replaced registered unemployment figures, which were often criticized for missing out large parts of the urban labor force and thereby not presenting a true picture of urban unemployment levels. However, current unemployment figures still do not include rural areas.A main concern in China’s current state of employment lies within the large regional differences. As of 2021, the unemployment rate in northeastern regions of China was notably higher than in China’s southern parts. In Beijing, China’s political and cultural center, registered unemployment ranged at around 3.2 percent for 2021. Indicators of economic activities Apart from the unemployment rate, most commonly used indicators to measure economic activities of a country are GDP growth and inflation rate. According to an IMF forecast, GDP growth in China will decrease to about four percent in 2025, after five percent in 2023, depicting a decrease of more than six percentage points from 10.6 percent in 2010. Quarterly growth data published by the National Bureau of Statistics indicated 5.4 percent GDP growth for the first quarter of 2025.

As of August 2025, the average monthly air quality index in Shanghai stood at 64, within the ********** category, as one of the months with better air quality compared to earlier in the year. Air Pollution in Shanghai Shanghai was doing relatively better than Beijing in terms of air quality, despite with a higher population than Beijing. The Ministry of ecology and environment has stated in 2015 that the main source of air pollution in Shanghai was dust, mobile sources and industrial production, as opposed to motorized vehicles in Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. What can be done about poor air quality in China? In recent years, air pollution had gradually become the top environmental concern to Chinese citizens. With the emergence of the public’s health concerns, the Chinese government also introduced plans to ease the air pollution, including setting a target for fine particulate matter, the completion of construction and renovation of pollution control facilities, introducing vehicle control, and renewing the fleet of public buses. Since 2001, China has invested over one percent of GDP annually on pollution control.

As of January 2025, Zhang Yiming topped the list of the richest people in China with a net worth of 60 billion U.S. dollars. Zhong Shanshan, founder of the beverage company Nongfu Spring, and Ma Huateng, founder of the IT giant Tencent, came in second and third respectively, while Ma Yun, founder of the IT giant Alibaba, fell back to the tenth place. Ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI) in China Net worth refers to the amount of value by which an individual’s assets exceed their liabilities. It is usually cited to demonstrate the economic position of a person. Following China’s extensive economic development over the past two decades, the number of wealthy people had been rapidly growing as well. According to Hurun Research Institute, Greater China was the region with the second largest number of billionaires worldwide as of 2025, with a total number of 870 billionaires. As of February 2025, the number of millionaires had amounted to approximately 19,000 people in Beijing alone. Unsurprisingly, the majority of high-net worth individuals lives in one of the four first-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Chinese billionaire's sources of wealth Chinese millionaires have accumulated their wealth primarily as private entrepreneurs. Most of the people listed among the 20 wealthiest Chinese in 2024 had owned their own companies. Zhang Yiming, who topped the list of richest people in China in 2025, has made his fortune as founder of BytaDance and Douyin, the social media platform internationally known as TikTok.