Xinhua reported that the Tenth Conference of the College of Continuing Education for Senior Citizens from Eighteen Cities was held in Changchun City, Jilin Province. The report revealed that this year is the tenth year since China entered an era of an aging society, and is the first peak annual increase of the senior population, which changed from 3.11 million to 8 million people. With the first generation of the “single child” population stepping into their senior years, China’s “empty nest families” (families without children or whose children do not stay at home) reached around 49%.
Source: Xinhua, August 27, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-08/26/content_11946384.htm