Elderly care and childcare services carry the weight of countless families' hopes for dignified aging and quality upbringing, while also influencing labor supply, consumer expectations, and industrial growth potential. These services represent a foundational undertaking to secure people's livelihoods and strengthen population development support, while also serving as a crucial lever for implementing H2 economic plans and expanding effective domestic demand.
Elderly Care Resources Aligned with Real-Life Needs
In recent years, China's elderly care sector has made notable progress in social security, eldercare services, health support, the silver economy, and the creation of age-friendly communities. Chen Gong, Director of the Institute of Population Research and the Institute of Gerontology at Peking University, noted that the allocation of elderly care service resources is increasingly tailored to the actual lives of older people, with the service system shifting from general facility provision toward identifying and responding to differentiated needs. The demand for long-term care, meal assistance, housekeeping, rehabilitation nursing, and home-based services is especially pronounced among the oldest old, those with disabilities, and seniors living alone. Statistics show that by 2025, over 300 million people had enrolled in long-term care insurance, with nearly 1.93 million receiving benefits and more than 13,000 designated service institutions, forming a preliminary institutional framework covering disability assessment, expense reimbursement, and care services. "The accelerated development of long-term care insurance provides more stable institutional support for disability care and helps ease the pressure on families providing long-term care," Chen said.
As seniors' spending power grows and mindsets evolve, silver consumption is emerging as a key driver of domestic demand expansion. Related projections suggest that by 2035, the overall scale of China's silver economy could surpass 30 trillion yuan. Yang Yifan, a professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy at Southwest Jiaotong University and Deputy Director of the International Institute of Ageing Studies, stated that issuing eldercare consumption subsidies to seniors with moderate or higher disabilities essentially hands the choice back to older adults, allowing them to select service providers and direct spending based on their actual needs. This "demand-side driven" model can better stimulate market vitality and, in turn, push providers to improve service quality.
Upgrading Affordable Childcare Services
Heavy pressure from intergenerational caregiving, difficulty finding holiday care for children of dual-income families, and insufficient supply of affordable childcare resources are common pain points for households across society. To address these urgent concerns, Shizhu County in Chongqing has coordinated efforts across multiple departments, including the Women's Federation, trade unions, and health authorities, to build a diversified childcare system that integrates "nursery-kindergarten integration, public welfare guarantees, employer supplements, and community empowerment." The county has revitalized existing kindergartens by adding standardized nursery classes, with coverage extending across urban and rural areas, supplemented by fiscal subsidies and tax incentives, bringing the minimum monthly fee for affordable childcare down to just 420 yuan.
The county-level upgrade of childcare services offers a vivid snapshot of national progress in building an affordable childcare system. In recent years, China has relied on central government affordable childcare demonstration projects to accelerate the construction of comprehensive childcare service centers and affordable nursery slots. Local governments have explored innovative approaches tailored to their circumstances, gradually forming diversified supply models that include kindergartens extending to provide nursery care, community-embedded childcare, employer-supported childcare, and family-based nursery points. Currently, there are 126,000 childcare service institutions nationwide, with more than 6.6 million nursery slots available, steadily expanding the reach of "trustworthy childcare" at people's doorsteps.
Meanwhile, multiple support policies continue to take effect. Ultra-long-term special treasury bonds are prioritizing support for childcare infrastructure, childcare institutions enjoy residential rates for water, electricity, gas, and heating, and many localities issue childcare subsidies of 3,600 yuan per child per year until the age of three, reducing both operational costs for providers and child-rearing burdens for families. This year, the National Health Commission, together with multiple departments, is continuously optimizing the distribution of childcare resources, increasing central budget investment, deepening the development of affordable childcare pilot programs, and promoting routine collaboration mechanisms between maternal and child health institutions and childcare providers to enhance the accessibility and professionalism of services. Yang Fan, Deputy Dean of the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China, noted that placing diversified childcare services in nearby locations not only effectively solves the caregiving challenges of dual-income families and unlocks women's employment potential, but also activates new momentum for household consumption.
Building a Solid Service Foundation Through Supply-Demand Coordination
Currently, China's elderly and childcare services are gradually moving beyond a purely welfare-oriented mindset. Institutional development is progressing from pilot exploration toward a more systematic framework, policy focus is shifting from supply-driven to supply-demand coordinated approaches, and service delivery is evolving into integrated planning that advances both public service provision and industrial cultivation. However, structural contradictions in the supply and demand of eldercare and childcare services still need to be resolved.
The recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee called for improving service guarantees for the elderly and young children. In the second half of the year, relevant departments should improve the supply of these services, further strengthen the social safety net, reduce family caregiving burdens, stabilize household expectations, and drive the development of related industries such as age-friendly products, childcare facilities, and maternal and infant services, thereby cultivating new consumption growth points.
To better meet the diverse and multi-level eldercare needs of seniors, the Ministry of Civil Affairs recently formulated the "Guidelines for Building a Three-Tier Rural and Urban Elderly Care Service Network." Sun Wencan, Deputy Director of the Department of Elderly Care Services at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, explained that the three-tier network is not a simple stacking of levels but an organic whole featuring upward-downward linkage, horizontal coordination, systematic continuity, and full coverage. The three tiers — county-level comprehensive elderly care service management platforms, township (sub-district) regional elderly care service centers, and village (community) elderly care service facilities — each perform their own functions while working in coordination, creating a full-chain elderly care service supply pattern that spans urban and rural areas and runs through home-based, community, and institutional care.
Affordable childcare services are likewise adhering to the dual approach of expanding coverage and improving quality. Yang Fan stated that on the basis of popularizing affordable childcare, it is essential to strictly maintain safety standards, address supply-demand gaps, optimize the service system, and foster an orderly and well-regulated childcare services market. Localities can leverage nursery-kindergarten integration reforms to revitalize existing resources, expand affordable nursery slots, and optimize urban-rural service distribution. At the same time, flexible services such as hourly care and holiday care can be introduced for groups including gig workers and shift workers, precisely matching diverse parenting needs. Additionally, deeper integration of medical and childcare services can push healthcare resources down to childcare institutions.