(CFP)

As of the end of 2023, the elderly population aged 60 and above in Jiangsu reached 20.89 million, surpassing 20 million for the first time and accounting for 24.5% of the province’s population.

For the first time, all 13 cities with subordinate districts in the province had an elderly population aged 65 and above exceeding 14%, indicating that all had entered a moderately aging society. The province has 8,683 centenarians, with the highest number in Nantong, totaling 1,489.

By the end of 2023, the province had 2,235 elderly care institutions with 408,000 beds. Jiangsu also had more than 8,000 meal service points operating for the elderly people and provided government-funded household service to 3.3 million elderly residents.

Nursing homes cover all counties (cities and districts) in Jiangsu, accounting for over one-third of the national total, ranking first in the country.

Furthermore, to train elderly care service professionals, the province’s Civil Affairs Department issued guidelines for caregiver training, attracting more talent from medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing fields to join the elderly care service sector.

In Jiangsu, more than 70% of the elderly care institutions are operated by private entities, and a number of well-known brands and elderly-friendly products have emerged in the province. Several cities in Jiangsu have built up their competitive sectors, such as elderly care services in Nanjing, smart health in Wuxi, rehabilitation assistive devices in Changzhou, and biomedicine in Suzhou.