China's nursing home beds rise to 6.7 million in 2015

BEIJING - China's senior service industry developed quickly during the past five years, with nursing home beds increasing to 6.7 million at the end of 2015, the country's top economic planning body said Friday.

There were 30.3 nursing home beds for per 1,000 people over the age of 60 in 2015, up 70.2 percent from 2010, according to a statement posted on the website of the National Development and Reform Commission.

By the end of last year, 31 provincial-level regions released guidelines on the development of local pension service industry, while Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Zhejiang adopted measures to boost the industry's growth, the statement said.

China is facing an aging population problem after decades of family planning policies have drastically reduced the birth rate and improvements in health care have resulted in a longer life expectancy.

There were more than 200 million people aged over 60 in 2015, accounting for 16.1 percent of the country's total population, official data showed. The number of people aged over 65 stood at 144 million.

As the senior population grows, the country will introduce new measures to cope with increased pressure from the quantity and quality of long-term health care facilities to ensure the elderly enjoy their remaining days, according to the statement.