China’s Communist Party growing at slower pace and its members getting older: Report

Beijing, Aug 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) China's ruling Communist Party has been growing at a slower pace, its members are ageing, and the demographic profile of its members demonstrates the structural challenges faced by Chinese society, as per a report.

According to the data released by the Communist Party's Organisation Department, the total number of members in the party stood at 101 million at the end of 2025, showcasing an annual rise of only one per cent, the slowest pace of growth in at least five years.

The expansion of the Communist Party's membership has decelerated since 2021, according to a report in PML Daily.

Furthermore, the party's members are ageing, with nearly 30 per cent of Communist Party members aged 61 years or above, the highest proportion recorded in at least five years. Only 22 per cent of the party members are aged 35 years and below, a decline from nearly one quarter in 2021.

The pattern is noteworthy since it continues despite efforts made by the party to include younger members. Over 80 per cent of new members who joined the Communist Party in 2025 were below 35 years, showcasing that recruitment alone is not adequate to deal with the combined effects of an ageing membership base, rising life expectancy, and a decline in the number of young Chinese, according to the PML Daily report.

"The party’s changing profile reflects China’s wider demographic predicament. Years of declining birth rates, a rapidly ageing population and four consecutive years of overall population decline have reduced the relative size of younger generations entering the workforce. Consequently, Communist Party members now constitute 7.21 per cent of China’s population, up from 6.85 per cent in 2021, not because of rapid party expansion but because the national population itself is shrinking," it said.

In July, the data released by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said that 323.38 million people in China were aged 60 years and above by the end of 2025, representing 23 per cent of the country's total population. The number of people in the country aged 65 years and above rose to 223.65 million, accounting for 15.9 per cent of the total population, China-based Global Times reported.

According to the data, the old-age dependency rate for people in China aged 65 years and above stood at 23.1 per cent, while the average life expectancy in China stood at 79.25 years. China has now become an ageing society due to various factors, including the size of past birth cohorts and the continuous rise in life expectancy.

Source: IANS