BEIJING - All of China's senior citizens living in rural and urban areas will be covered by pension insurance by 2015, according to a plan for senior citizens' development in the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015) circulated by the State Council, or China's Cabinet, on Friday.

China's population aged sixty and over will increase from the current 178 million to 221 million by 2015, which will raise their proportion of the entire population from 13.3 percent to 16 percent, the plan said.

It said that the aging population is an urgent and important issue for the government, which "lags behind" on China's fast-growing aging society.

Besides pension insurance, the government will also improve elderly care services across the country.

Community medical centers will create health records for those aged 65 and older in the next five years, it said.