The number of Chinese in their 80s or older neared 19 million at the end of last year and will grow by 1 million annually, said a report by the Office of China National Committee on Aging on Tuesday.

The aged population, referring to people aged 60 and above, increased by 7.25 million to 167.14 million last year, or 12.5 percent of the total population of China.

The proportion of aged people in the population rose by half a percentage point to 12.5 percent, the largest annual increase in history, said Wu Yushao, deputy director of the office.

"That will be a huge challenge for our country", Wu said. "The economy, the retirement system and services for the elderly are still too weak to handle the challenge."

China will launch a "Senior's Month" campaign in October to raise the public awareness of the aging society, Wu said.