According to the National Bureau of Statistics, by the end of 2018, China's elderly population aged 60 and above stood at 249 million, accounting for 17.9% of the total population. With the gradual increase in population aging, various issues regarding elderly care have attracted social attention.

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2019 set up a sub-forum with the theme of "Ageing and Health". At the sub-forum held on the afternoon of March 27, former World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said that by 2050, China's population aged 60 and above will exceed 500 million. Meanwhile, in the next 40 years, 80% of the population aged 60 and above is expected to be from low- and middle-income countries.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Margaret Chan delivered a speech at the sub-forum. (By Zhang Kaihang, CCTV)

"The needs of global population health are also changing with aging, but currently we are not responding quickly enough." According to Margaret Chan, it is important to learn about the current situation and demands of the elderly through data monitoring and research.

"The elderly may have some chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, etc., which we need to deal with and control. Secondly, we also need to develop a mechanism that can provide long-term care." In terms of infrastructure, Margaret Chan advocated that society should respect the elderly and build some infrastructure specially for them, such as transport.

At the sub-forum, Chan hoped that the Boao Forum for Asia would not only connect Asia, but also the world, so that countries all over the world could work together to address the challenges posed by population aging and ensure that people can live a longer, healthier and more dignified life.