A resident is attended by a nurse at a care home in Xi'an. (Photo: Xinhua)

China currently has about 42,300 elderly care facilities nationwide, with a capacity of more than 4.29 million beds, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) Wednesday.

The elderly care institutions across the country provide accommodation for nearly 2.15 million elderly people, said Li Banghua with the MCA.

Living in such institutions has become an important means by which the aging population of China can obtain care, said Li.