Population aging in Russia and China: features and socioeconomic risks

The article is devoted to one of the main demographic challenges for Russia and China - population aging. In the first part of the work, the main trends in the transformation of the age structure are considered, and the conclusion is drawn about the heterogeneity of the demographic aging process in the studied countries. It was revealed that Russia, which entered the phase of population aging earlier than China, practically does not progress in terms of growth in survival rates and healthy life expectancy of the population, which is reflected in a noticeably lower rate of deepening of old age in the age structure. The aging process of the Chinese population is noticeably more balanced due to the absence of serious gender differences in mortality rates, as well as due to the significantly lower internal differentiation of regions. The second part of the article analyzes the existing and probable socio-economic risks caused by the aging of the age structure of the population of Russia and China. It has been determined that for both countries, the problem of intensive aging of the population is becoming one of the key ones. Even now, the BRICS countries (all of which, with the exception of Russia, have seen a significant increase in the share and size of the older generation) are showing a decline in economic growth. After the completion of the stage of implementation of the demographic dividend, these indicators may fall to extremely low values, which, under a certain scenario, may become a catalyst for the emergence of a new planetary economic crisis, given the contribution of the BRICS countries to the world economy (especially China). Overcoming the negative consequences of the phenomenon of population aging is possible only with the development of a systematic policy for maintaining sustainable socio-economic development in new demographic conditions