China's average life expectancy reached 79.25 years in 2025. Longer lives, however, bring deeper aging. By the end of 2025, China had over 223 million people aged 65 or above, accounting for 15.9% of its total population, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. They create a huge demand of senior care.

According to the National Health Commission (NHC), the "90-7-3" model – 90% home‑based care, 7% community‑based care and 3% institutional care – took shape in China's senior care landscape in 2021.

The model distinguishes care by need: home care for mild disabilities, community services for moderate needs, and institutional care for severe cases. This structure matches the actual willingness of seniors, according to the NHC, about 90% of Chinese elderly prefer to age at home.

Yet the scale of need is staggering: China now has over 45 million disabled and cognitively impaired seniors, meaning one in every six elderly requires long-term care. The disability of a single family member often disrupts the entire household's daily functioning.

Integrated medical and elderly care in action

The NHC has promoted four integrated care models: hospital-nursing home partnerships, hospitals offering care services, nursing homes with medical units and home-based medical visits. Currently, 87,000 pairs of medical and elderly institutions have signed cooperation agreements; over 7,800 integrated facilities provide 2 million beds.

To address the difficulty seniors face in traveling to hospitals, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) added a new "home visit fee" to its medical service price catalog in 2024. Local governments have set prices ranging from 35 to 200 yuan ($5 to $30) per visit, enabling medical services to reach seniors at home. This reduces transportation burdens and hospital waiting times – particularly for chronic disease patients – while also cutting family costs for transportation, hospitalization and lost work time.

Long-term care insurance

So who covers the cost? That is where long‑term care insurance (LTCI) comes in, often called the "sixth social insurance," alongside pension, medical, work injury, unemployment, and maternity coverage.

Launched as a pilot in 2016 across 15 cities, it expanded to 92 cities by 2025. By the end of 2025, LTCI covered 308 million people, with cumulative fund expenditures exceeding 100 billion yuan ($14.7 billion), benefiting over 3.3 million disabled individuals, according to data from the NHSA.

In March 2026, the central government issued guidelines transitioning LTCI from pilot to nationwide implementation. Services are delivered through three channels – home care visits, community day centers, or institutional care.

Zhejiang Province in east China offers a compelling example. It achieved full LTCI coverage in 2025, with a 93% participation rate and has reduced burdens for 212,000 disabled individuals by 4 billion yuan (roughly $588 million), China Media Group reported. In Ningbo, rural service points have been established in mountainous and island areas, training local villagers as caregivers. 

To professionalize the workforce, the state has created a new occupation called long-term caregiver. On June 28, 2026, the second inter-provincial joint exam for long-term caregiver vocational qualification was held simultaneously across 30 provincial-level regions, with over 10,000 candidates taking the test.

Robotics as a vital supplement

With a severe shortage of professional caregivers, robotics has become an essential supplement. In 2023, 17 ministries launched initiatives to develop assistive robots; 2025 saw pilot projects pairing technology with care scenarios.

Applications include rehabilitation exoskeletons in senior communities and medication-delivery robots in nursing homes. However, as Chen Kaiyan, secretary-general of the China Community Development Association, said, robots still face barriers of cost, trust and organizational integration.

The road ahead

Backed by integrated health services, a nationwide long‑term care insurance system and emerging technologies, China's senior care services are turning the vision of universal basic care into reality.

Yet challenges remain: Rural areas lack facilities and professionals and robotics adoption still requires affordability and trust improvements. As Lu Jiehua, director of the Peking University Center for Healthy Aging and Development, emphasized, only through meticulous grassroots action can China fulfill its commitment to dignified aging for all.