This is because the rapid social and economic development over the past five years has improved the local people's health, according to latest figures released by the department.

In the five years between 2000 and 2005, the local residents' life expectancy increased by 1.1 years, it said.

The average expectation of the locals' lives was 71.4 years in 2000.

In the mean time, infant mortality rate in the autonomous region dropped from 25.45 per thousand to 14.78 per thousand, while that for children under five years old fell from 32.15 per thousand to 18.63 per thousand.

The death rate of women during pregnancy or childbirth also declined in the past five years, from 0.06 percent to 0.037 percent, the regional health department said.

But the graying society and growing population will bring new challenges to the region's healthcare and disease control and prevention systems in the coming five years, it said.

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region pronounced the start of a graying society in 2003, when those above 65 years old made up more than seven percent of the total population. Enditem