Senior citizens aged 65 or over account for up to 80% of missing elderly person cases, according to the Zhongmin Social Assistance Institute under the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"This is obviously a huge number and a social issue we cannot afford to ignore," Wang Zhikun, president of the Zhongmin institute, said on Sunday.
Around 25% of those missing had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia, while 72% suffered some sort of memory impairment, according to the report.
