Silver economy has caught limelight at the ongoing 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) where myriad innovative age-friendly products made their debut, an upbeat trend to cater to the growing aging population.
Experts have predicted that the number of people aged 60 and above in China will surpass 400 million around 2035 and is expected to reach 500 million by 2050.
Meanwhile, China's silver economy now stands at around 7 trillion yuan (about 960 billion U.S. dollars), and is expected to reach around 30 trillion yuan (about 4.13 trillion U.S. dollars) by 2035.
Participants at the expo are prioritizing open cooperation and innovative advancement within the silver economy sector, discussing new ideas and strategies that actively respond to the challenge of an aging population and help promote the industry's high-quality development.
During a forum focused on silver economy, head of the social affairs department of the National Development and Reform Commission said that China has entered a moderate aging society, with its aging rate being relatively high on a global scale. Developing silver economy has become a key strategy for addressing the challenges posed by an aging population in China, alongside the innovation of new technologies for meeting their needs.
"China is a very vibrant, innovative economy, and a lot of people are trying new things. I think there is a lot of room for cooperation between Japanese companies and Chinese companies," said Osamu Onodera, Head of the Beijing Office for JETRO, a government related organization responsible for promotion of trade and investment.
There are about 220 million people aged 65 and older in China, accounting for 15.4 percent of the population. At the expo, life insurance industry practitioners said that they will enhance wealth management and health protection services for the elderly to align with the evolving silver economy.
"We will increase the supply of insurance service systems for silver economy, as well as make more investments in this area," said Dai Chuanjiang, Deputy General Manager of China Pacific Life Insurance Company.
The CIIE has been facilitating connections between supply and demand in the health and elderly care industry. The estimated transaction volume for elderly care, rehabilitation and assistive products has reached 348 million U.S. dollars in the previous six sessions.
The 7th CIIE, which runs from Tuesday to Sunday, has attracted 3,496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions this year. The event also marks a significant milestone with the participation of 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and leading industry players from around the world.
Age-friendly products catch limelight at ongoing CIIE
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
