China to have 42 mln disabled elderly people by 2020

China will have 42 million disabled senior citizens by 2020 and the number will more than double by 2050, authorities said today.
China has seena rapid rise in numbers of senior citizens who are unable to care for themselves, live alone or are aged over 80, with all such groups in dire need of care services, Li Zhihong, deputy head of China National Working Commission on Ageing said.
It is estimated that China will have 97.5 million disabled elderly people by 2050, Li said.
The number of people in the country aged above 80 will hit 29 million by 2020 and 108 million by 2050, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In addition, the number of elderly people who live alone or without their children's care is expected to total 118 million by 2020 and 262 million by 2050.
Li said the ageing population brings great opportunities for China's elderly care industry, adding that technology is increasingly applied in the area.