More than half of China's elderly have health problems and their lifestyles are believed to be a leading contributor, officials and medical experts said on Thursday.

China's population is rapidly aging and the number of citizens older than 60 is expected to reach 202 million by the end of 2013, including 23 million older than 80, said Wu Yushao, vice-president of the China National Committee on Aging.

By then, 37.5 million elderly Chinese, or 19 percent of the senior population, will require daily care because of disabilities.