Aging Population in Henan Province: Issues and Countermeasures

当前我国人口结构转型呈现两大驱动因素：生育水平持续走低与人均寿命显著提高，由此衍生的老龄化问题具有多维复杂性。数据显示，我国老年群体总量突破性增长的同时，呈现出年龄结构快速迭代、老年抚养负担持续加重、城乡区域发展失衡等典型特征。尽管地方政府在养老服务模式创新方面取得阶段性进展，但仍面临制度性瓶颈：社会保障体系覆盖深度不足、养老基础设施供给滞后、社会支持网络承载力薄弱、政策法规适配性欠缺以及服务质量标准化程度较低。基于此，亟需构建多维度协同治理框架：其一，应从国家治理现代化的角度重新审视老龄化的战略意义；其二，需优化社会保障资源配置机制，以提升公共财政支出的效能；其三，完善老年群体支持体系，提升老龄群体社会参与活力；其四，深化养老制度供给侧改革，形成政府主导、市场运作、社会协同的多元服务体系。China’s ongoing demographic transition is primarily driven by two factors: persistently declining fertility rates and significantly increasing life expectancy. The resultant aging phenomenon exhibits multifaceted complexity. Data indicates that alongside the substantial surge in the absolute size of the elderly population, several distinctive characteristics are emerging: rapid shifts within the elderly age structure, a progressively intensifying old-age dependency burden, and pronounced urban-rural and regional disparities. While local governments have achieved phase-based advancements in innovating eldercare service models, they continue to confront institutional bottlenecks. These include insufficient depth of social security system coverage, lagging provision of eldercare infrastructure, limited capacity within social support networks, inadequate adaptability of policies and regulations, and a low degree of service quality standardization. Consequently, there is an urgent imperative to construct a multi-dimensional collaborative governance framework. Primarily, the strategic significance of population aging must be re-evaluated from the perspective of modernizing national governance. Secondly, the resource allocation mechanism within the social security system requires optimization to enhance the efficacy of public fiscal expenditures. Thirdly, the support system for the elderly population needs refinement to bolster the vitality of social participation among senior citizens. Finally, supply-side reforms of the eldercare system must be deepened to establish a pluralistic service framework characterized by government leadership, market operation, and societal collaboration. Keywords: population aging; elderly care services; institutional innovation.