Healthy Aging Index Report: Insights From 38 Major Chinese Cities

TL;DR

This study evaluates how well 38 major Chinese cities are prepared for aging populations using a Health Aging Index, finding significant disparities between coastal and inland cities.

Contribution

The study introduces a Health Aging Index with 43 indicators to assess cities' readiness for aging populations in China.

Findings

Beijing scored highest (58.5) in healthy aging readiness, while Guiyang scored lowest (42.30).

Coastal cities outperformed inland cities in healthcare scores (10.5 vs. 8.5).

Guiyang had a notably low score (2.47) in social security and finance.

Abstract

The construction of a Health Aging Index is pivotal for evaluating cities’ readiness for an aging society. Utilizing the analytic hierarchy process, this study developed an index encompassing five areas (each score ranged 1-20): health care, living environment, transportation, social fairness and participation, and social security and finance, with 43 specific indicators. The evaluation of 38 Chinese large and medium size cities (bigger than 1 million population) revealed uneven development. Coastal cities, for instance, averaged 10.5 in health care, compared to 8.5 for some inland cities. Overall, Beijing led with a score of 58.5, while Guiyang scored 42.30, with a notably low score (2.47) in social security and finance. To foster healthy aging in China, tailored policies should be developed based on city-specific needs. Long-term care insurance systems must be strengthened to integrate medical and care services, and urban infrastructure should be enhanced to create age-friendly environments.