China will launch a network of “silver trains” for elderly tourists as part of a plan to unleash the spending power of one of the world’s fastest-ageing populations.
An official action plan released on Tuesday by several government departments outlined the need for trains outfitted with medical and old-age services. By 2027, a network of such trains should cover the entire country, officials said.
China’s ageing population, shaped for decades by a one-child policy that restricted birth rates, poses a profound long-term challenge to the world’s second-largest economy
One in five Chinese people were over the age of 60 by the end of 2022, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, with the proportion expected to rise in the coming years.
This demographic crunch comes as Chinese policymakers grapple with weak consumer demand, a historic property slowdown and lower rates of growth than in the pre-pandemic era.
Tuesday’s policy document, which was released by institutions including the tourism and civil affairs ministries, said the silver tourist trains were “an important part of promoting service consumption”.
The project comes amid wider ambitions to develop a “silver economy” in China, which in 2023 was eclipsed by India as the world’s most populous nation, following years of declining birth rates. The government says the silver economy was worth Rmb7tn ($958bn) last year, and it is projected to hit Rmb30tn by 2035.
China’s 1.4bn population declined for a third consecutive year in 2024, despite government efforts to encourage family formation as part of a “birth-friendly society”. Marriages also plummeted.
Births did increase last year, their first rise since 2016 and a rebound from a record low in 2023. The birth rate, at 6.77 per 1,000 people, compares with 11.17 births per 1,000 people in the UK in the same year.
China’s retirement age is also among the earliest in the world, though policymakers last year outlined plans to raise it gradually, as the economy faces the prospect of a smaller working-age population. The retirement threshold will rise from 60 to 63 for men and from 55 to 58 for women in white-collar jobs. The retirement age for women in blue-collar work will climb from 50 to 55.
State-backed broadcaster CCTV ran a segment on the trains on Tuesday showing elderly passengers dancing — a common sight in early morning city parks in mainland China — and playing mah-jong. A red banner promoted the “launch of special silver trains”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose “Xi Jinping Thought” governing approach was cited at the top of the silver train action plan, called late last year called for “vigorous” efforts to boost consumption.
China’s economy has remained close to deflationary territory in recent months. Consumer prices rose 0.5 per cent year on year in January, according to official data released over the weekend.
Additional reporting by Wang Xueqiao in Shanghai