Spatiotemporal evolution patterns of population aging, health resources for older adults, and new quality productivity in China

The development of new quality productivity has profoundly impacted China's socioeconomic development. However, the exacerbating demographic shift, characterized by an ageing population and the matching of health resources for older adults, is critical to modernization with Chinese characteristics. We examined the distribution patterns of population aging, health resources for older adults, and new quality productivity by analyzing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces during 2013-2020, using the entropy method, Moran's index, and coupling coordination degree. Our findings indicate that the spatial distributions of population aging and new quality productivity exhibit patterns of higher and lower levels in the eastern and western regions, respectively. The spatial autocorrelation between population aging and the allocation of health resources for older adults-alongside the development of new quality productivity-demonstrates significant clustering of similar attributes, with overall spatial autocorrelation intensifying over time. In areas with advanced new quality productivity, the spatial coupling degree between population aging and health resources for older adults is relatively low, whereas in areas with underdeveloped new quality productivity, the spatial coupling degree is relatively high. This study expands research on aging and socioeconomics, providing novel insights into the spatial coupling of population, health, and economic factors.