Retirement at 50 years old? China seeks to raise its low pension age

China is set to raise its statutory retirement age to 65 years old for all citizens.

The country's retirement age is currently among the lowest in the world, at 60 for men, 55 for women and 50 for blue-collar women.

The new retirement age has not yet been confirmed, but reports in state-run media suggest it is likely to be raised to 65 .

China 's population of 1.4 billion people is declining and aging, in part due to the one -child policy.

Chinese citizens from rural areas have significantly worse health outcomes than urban people, including life expectancy.

Rural pensions are meagre, with the minimum set at 123 yuan ($ 25 ) a month.

Chinese pensions are based on an internal passport system known as "hukou", which divides the population along urban-rural lines, creating vast differences in access to social services.

China expert suggested the government may choose to emphasise a culture of volunteerism and mimic the "barefoot doctors" program of the early Communist Party reign.

Mao Zedong sought to address a critical shortage of medics in rural areas by giving basic training to an army of village doctors.

Dr Johnston said she wondered if the Chinese government may similarly create a "kind of barefoot aged care" workforce.