Hainan has been declared as a World Longevity Island by the International Expert Committee on Population Aging and Longevity (ISCPAL).
Alongside South Korea's Jeju Island, Hainan was named one of the world's two longevity islands thanks to its outstanding natural environment and social welfare system. The committee decided to honor the province after conducting field research in 17 towns and counties in 2013.
Hainan trumpets a record of more than 1,900 centenarians, and about 1.2 million residents above the age of 60 by the end of 2013, amounting for about 13.36 percent of its total population, according to the the provincial committee on aging. By 2015, the number of octogenarians is expected to reach 170,000.