The old rule is that data speaks.
According to the latest demographic statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics, by the end of 2023, the number of elderly people aged 60 and above in mainland China has reached about 297 million, accounting for 21.1% of the total population, and the number of elderly people aged 65 and above has reached about 217 million, accounting for 15.4% of the total population.
Compared with the end of 2022, the number of elderly people aged 60 and over increased by about 17 million, with a growth rate of 1.3%, and the number of elderly people aged 65 and above increased by about 7 million, with a growth rate of 0.5%. It is not difficult to see that the aging trend of the mainland's population is intensifying, and it has officially entered the stage of moderate aging.
It is no exaggeration to say that the accelerated evolution of the aging trend of the population will not only bring pressure to the long-term, stable and healthy operation of the basic pension insurance system, but also make workers with relatively low income levels and the elderly face more and more difficult pension problems. In this context, how to ensure that the elderly aged 60 and above have support and dependence on the elderly is a common focus of the whole society.
Criteria for defining "advanced elderly".
As we all know, at this stage, the mainland is implementing a statutory retirement age system, that is, the personnel of enterprises and institutions participating in the basic old-age insurance for urban workers need to reach the statutory retirement age before they can retire in accordance with regulations on the premise that they have accumulated 15 years of insurance and contributions, and then apply for a basic pension on a monthly basis. Therefore, based on this institutional background, we usually define the population aged 60 and above as "elderly", and at the same time, we define the middle-aged and elderly people aged 45 and above into three types according to different age stages.
(1) Pre-old age: 45~59 years old;
(2) Old age: 60~89 years old;
(3) Longevity: 90 years old and above.
One point that needs to be emphasized here is that the elderly aged 80 and above are often called "elderly people", and from the age level, people born in 1944 and before the ID card (whether retirees from enterprises and institutions, or urban and rural residents) will reach the age of 80 in 2024, can be called the elderly.
The current situation of the "elderly people".
By the end of 2022, the number of elderly people aged 80 and above in mainland China has approached 40 million, accounting for about 2.7% of the country's total population. According to the "Chinese Population Forecast Report 2023" released by relevant statistical agencies, it is expected that by 2030, the number of elderly people aged 80 and above in mainland China will reach more than 52 million, accounting for 3.7%, and by 2050, the number of elderly people aged 80 and above will reach 150 million, accounting for 11%. It can be seen that the burden of old-age care for the elderly may be further increased.
At this stage, the current situation of pension faced by the elderly aged 80 and above in mainland China can be reflected in the following aspects:
(1) The level of pension/pension treatment is generally low, and from the economic level, it cannot be independent in the real sense;
(2) The elderly generally have poor self-care ability or cannot take care of themselves, and need long-term economic help and medical services from society and family;
(3) The frail and sick, especially the elderly who have been ill for a long time, often have a great increase in medical expenses;
(4) Among the elderly, there are generally more women than men, and most of them are widowed.
Obviously, based on the various pension problems faced by the elderly, it is far from enough to rely on families or children to help. In order to help these 40 million elderly people solve the most basic life problems, it is inseparable from the active participation of the social security system.
The elderly can enjoy "2 preferential treatments"
(1) The basic pension of elderly retirees is tilted and adjusted
In the previous series of introductions, we have given you detailed information about the adjustment of the basic pension of retirees. As we all know, the mainland has established a normal adjustment mechanism for the basic pension of retired employees since 2005, and it will usher in 19 consecutive increases in 2023.
It should be particularly emphasized that looking at the adjustment methods over the years, without exception, the adjustment method of combining quota adjustment, linked adjustment and appropriate tilt has been adopted, and the so-called appropriate tilt refers to a way to appropriately raise the adjustment level for elderly retirees and retirees in remote areas on the basis of quota adjustment and linkage adjustment, that is, elderly retirees who meet the age conditions stipulated in the overall planning area can enjoy preferential treatment of inclined adjustment.
For example, in the detailed adjustment plan implemented by Henan Province in 2023, the tilt adjustment measures adopted by the local government are for elderly retirees aged 70 and above, and the basic pension will be increased per person per month according to different standards according to different age groups, such as 70~74 years old, an additional 25 yuan per person per month, 75~79 years old, an additional 30 yuan per person per month, and 80~84 years old, an additional 40 yuan per person per month; 85~For those aged 89, an additional 50 yuan per person per month will be issued, and for those aged 90 and above, an additional 60 yuan will be issued.
(2) Old Age Allowance
In addition to the preferential treatment of pension adjustment introduced above, 31 provinces and cities in the mainland have also established an old-age allowance system, whether it is an eligible elderly retiree or an urban or rural resident, can apply for old-age allowance subsidies. For example, the specific payment standards for the old age allowance in Longkou City, Shandong Province in 2024 are as follows:
A: 70~79 years old (born on January 1, 1945 - December 31, 1954) seniors, 300 yuan per person per year;
B: 70~79 years old (born on January 1, 1935 - December 31, 1944) seniors, 400 yuan per person per year;
C: 90~98 years old (born on January 1, 1926 - December 31, 1934) seniors, 600 yuan per person per year;
D: 99 years old and above (born before December 31, 1925) longevity seniors, 600 yuan per person per month.
Other provinces and cities such as Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, etc. have established an old-age allowance system, although the required age conditions are different in various places, and the specific subsidy standards are also different, but no matter how much, it reflects the special care of the state for the elderly.
epilogue
Through the above introduction, it is not difficult for us to draw a conclusion, that is, regardless of whether it is the pension tilt adjustment preferential treatment enjoyed by retirees aged 70 and above, or the old age allowance living subsidy fund, for the elderly who were born before December 31, 1954 and will reach the age of 70 in 2024, they can enjoy these two preferential benefits under the premise of meeting the corresponding conditions.
Of course, it should be emphasized that at present, many regions define the subsidy standard of OAA as 80 years old, and only the local registered population who has reached the age of 80 can apply for OAA. Therefore, from this point of view, whether the elderly aged 70~79 will be able to enjoy the old age allowance mainly depends on how the local policy stipulates.
Finally, the author wants to say that it is precisely through the continuous implementation and optimization of these welfare policies that more and more elderly people have improved their living conditions and improved their happiness index. Moreover, the old-age allowance is not limited to retirees who enjoy the basic old-age insurance benefits of urban workers, and we farmers can also apply for it normally as long as they meet the conditions.
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