Coupling analysis of population aging and economic growth with spatial-temporal variation: a case study in China

BACKGROUND: China now faces an increasingly aging society which may exert economic pressure in the long run. This study illustrates the spatial pattern and evolution of population aging and economic development in China. The coupling coordination degree of population aging and economic development at the national and provincial levels are calculated and demonstrated, and the spatial patterns and characteristics are investigated. METHODS: This paper presents a coupling analysis of the elderly population rate (EPR) and per capita Gross Regional Product (GRP(pc)) in China by using the coupling and coordination model. Further, the spatial pattern and evolution of population aging and economic development are investigated based on the standard deviational ellipse. The collected data is at the level of provincial administrative units in mainland China covering the period 2002 to 2020. RESULTS: The results reveal the spatial difference in the coupling and coordination degree between EPR and GRP(pc) across provinces. The eastern coastal areas are higher than the central and western regions of China. The orientation and directions of EPR are more than GRP(pc), indicating that the polarization in population aging is more severe than economic development. Significant positive correlations between coupling coordination degree and sustainable competitiveness are detected. CONCLUSIONS: Policymakers should fully consider regional differences and sustainable development in policy formulation of China. The western and northeastern provinces should be given priority in the regional sustainable development plan. At the same time, the coordination between population aging and economic development also requires to be examined especially.