The Prevalence of Dementia Among the Elderly in China: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of dementia among the Chinese is controversial. To explore a precise estimation of the prevalence, a meta-analysis was conducted in the present study. METHODS: The relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP Database and Wanfang Database up to January 2025. The pooled analysis, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis were all conducted. Subgroup analysis was conducted by age, sex, education level, region and investigation time to explore the sources of heterogeneity. All analyses were performed with STATA 16.0. RESULTS: Eighty-five studies with a total of 435 476 participants, including 25 550 patients with dementia were included. Pooled analysis found elderly dementia prevalence was 6.0% (95% CI: 5.4%-6.6%) in China. Subgroup analysis by age indicated that the prevalence of dementia was 2.5% among individuals aged 60-69, 6.1% among those aged 70-79, and 17.0% among those 80 years old or above. Subgroup analysis by sex showed that the prevalence of dementia was 4.8% in males and 7.3% in females. Subgroup analysis by education level found that the prevalence of dementia was 10.9% among those who were illiterate, 4.1% among those with primary education, 3.9% among those with secondary education, and 2.2% among those with college education or above. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dementia among the elderly in China is 6.0%. Moreover, with each additional decade of age, the prevalence of dementia rises significantly. Females and individuals with lower education levels have a higher prevalence.