China’s growing loneliness industry is offering elderly people paid companionship, meal deliveries and household assistance as changing lifestyles and social isolation create demand for services built around human connection.
China’s loneliness industry is creating a market for paid companionship, with elderly people hiring service providers to deliver meals, help with household chores and offer emotional support. The sector was valued at around $7.4 billion in 2025 by securities company Sinolink, according to a BBC report, although data on its overall size remains limited.
Among the services emerging in this market are providers who visit older people regularly and help them manage everyday life, taking on roles that can resemble those of family members. Wang Yingwei, who runs an electric scooter delivery team in Beijing, describes his workers as “community children”.
The business model reflects changing social dynamics in China, where migration for work, urbanisation and shifting lifestyles can leave people separated from family and traditional support networks.
China’s ‘temporary children’ help elderly people live independently
Yang, a 91-year-old woman living on the outskirts of Beijing, told the BBC that loneliness became particularly difficult after her husband died. She said she sometimes spoke to the television because she had nobody else to talk to and had even considered voluntary euthanasia.
Suffering from glaucoma and declining eyesight, Yang struggled with everyday tasks, including adjusting her air conditioner.
Her circumstances improved after Yingwei and his team began visiting her twice a day with hot meals. Their assistance extended beyond food delivery to fixing household problems and helping her manage daily life.
“We see ourselves as community children,” Yingwei told the BBC. “It means putting yourself in the shoes of older people and carefully considering their needs.”
He said his team helps with practical problems, such as installing water filters and repairing broken shower equipment.
“The elderly treat us like their children, and we treat them like our own parents,” he added.
According to the BBC, Yingwei’s services cost less than half the price of employing a caregiver. He started the business after his father-in-law, who had developed Alzheimer’s disease, moved into a nursing home. He wanted to help other elderly people remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
Paid companionship extends beyond elderly care
China’s loneliness industry is not limited to older people living alone. The BBC also reported on paid medical escorts who accompany clients to hospitals, collect test results and pick up medication.
Twenty-three-year-old Liu Yanyan works as a medical escort in Beijing. She told the BBC that some clients are young professionals who have moved to the city and lack friends or feel uncomfortable asking colleagues to accompany them to appointments.
Associate Professor Teresa Kuan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong told the BBC that paid companionship can offer people a more predictable relationship than friendship.
“If there is a companion you have paid for, the relationship is not exactly equal. It is a service relationship, so you don't have to deal with the unpredictability of a standard relationship. The thing about friendship is that it can be unpredictable. You don't know when someone might disappoint you. But, in a service relationship, you have a better idea of what to expect.”
The emergence of these businesses illustrates how social isolation is creating demand for services built around human connection. For elderly people such as Yang, paid companionship can provide both practical assistance and emotional reassurance.
About the Author
Anjali Thakur
Anjali Thakur is a Senior Assistant Editor with Mint, reporting on trending news, entertainment and health, with a focus on stories driving digital conversations. Her work involves spotting early signals across news cycles and social media, sharpening stories for SEO and Google Discover, and mentoring young editors in digital-first newsroom practices. She is known for turning fast-moving developments—whether news-driven or culture-led—into clear, tightly edited journalism without compromising editorial rigour.<br><br> Before joining Mint, she was Deputy News Editor at NDTV.com, where she led the Trending section and covered viral news, breaking developments and human-interest stories. She has also worked as Chief Sub-Editor at India.com (Zee Media) and as Senior Correspondent with Exchange4media and Hindustan Times’ HT City, reporting on media, advertising, entertainment, health, lifestyle and popular culture.<br><br> Anjali holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miranda House, and is currently pursuing an MBA, strengthening her understanding of business strategy and digital media economics. Her writing balances newsroom discipline with a clear instinct for what resonates with readers.