China Approves Retirement-Age Increase to 63 for Men, 58 for Women

What changed

China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee has approved a gradual retirement-age increase beginning in 2025 and unfolding over 15 years, according to BBC News Chinese.

• Men’s statutory retirement age will rise from 60 to 63.
• Women workers’ retirement ages will rise from 50 to 55 or from 55 to 58, depending on their category.
• From 2030, the minimum contribution period for receiving a basic monthly pension will increase from 15 to 20 years, by six months annually.
• Eligible workers may choose to retire up to three years early, subject to minimum ages of 60 for men and 50 or 55 for women.

The policy also calls for stronger support for employment and entrepreneurship, additional pension contributions, and better coordination of eldercare and childcare services.

Why it matters

The reform changes the relationship between working life, pension contributions and retirement security as China ages. By the end of 2023, 297 million people, 21.1% of the population: were at least 60, while the working-age share was declining, the report said.

China’s Academy of Labour and Social Security president Mo Rong described the change as necessary to maintain labour-force participation amid ageing, lower birth rates and uneven population growth. Researcher Yi Fuxian told the BBC that China’s pension crisis could become more severe than those in the United States and Britain, potentially requiring a later retirement age while leaving uncertainty over whether retirees will ultimately receive pensions.

The central risk is employment: people may be required or encouraged to work longer without being able to find jobs through the new retirement thresholds. The higher contribution requirement from 2030 could also make pension eligibility harder for workers with interrupted careers.

What to watch next

Implementation will determine how the 15-year transition applies across worker categories and how early-retirement choices are administered. The key indicators will be whether employment opportunities for older workers expand, whether contribution gaps become more common, and whether pension coverage keeps pace with the ageing population.

The policy follows proposals first studied in 2013 and a formal commitment to gradual retirement reform in 2021, ending years of uncertainty over how the change would operate.