Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Zhan Chengfu told a press conference on Thursday that between 2012 and 2021, the average subsistence allowance for China's urban and rural residents have increased by 1.2 times and 2.1 times respectively, and that the basic living standard for people living in extreme poverty exceeded the local subsistence allowance by 1.3 times.

The official announced the figures on Thursday during a briefing on the country's achievements in civil affairs in the last decade.

According to Zhan, China's social relief system supports an average of over 40 million people living on subsistence allowance and nearly 5 million vulnerable population per year.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs helps provide subsistence allowances for those unable to shake off poverty through their own efforts alone, Zhan noted, adding a total of 19.36 million registered impoverished people have been lifted out of poverty.

Stressing the country has provided more care to its senior citizens, Li Banghua, deputy director of the ministry's elderly service bureau said over 36 million elderly people have benefited from various subsidies.

More support has been provided for elderly people with special difficulties. Li pointed out by the first quarter of 2022, the country's urban and rural subsistence allowances covered a total of 14.2 million elderly people.

Elderly care service facilities have been further developed, Li said, adding that China had nearly 360,000 eldercare service institutions and facilities at the end of March, offering over 8.1 million beds for senior citizens, which is twice as many as that in 2012.

Chen Yueliang, a senior official at the ministry said comprehensive service facilities in communities have also improved to 100 percent coverage in urban areas and 79.5 percent in rural areas.

Chen added during China's fight against COVID-19, some 4 million Chinese community workers were working in urban and rural communities to guard against the disease.