Key facts
- China's enrollment growth for gig workers in the national healthcare system is slowing.
- High premium costs are cited as a primary reason for the slowdown.
- Despite this, overall basic medical insurance coverage in China remains above 95%.
- Nearly 69.82 million flexible workers were enrolled in the national employee basic medical insurance program in 2025.
- This figure shows an increase of more than 20 million from 2021.
China is experiencing a slowdown in the growth of healthcare coverage for its gig economy workforce, primarily due to the burden of high premium costs. While the nation's overall basic medical insurance coverage rate has stabilized above 95%, the flexible employment sector remains a notable gap in the country's social safety net. In 2025, approximately 69.82 million flexible workers and other individuals were enrolled in the national employee basic medical insurance program. This represents a substantial increase of over 20 million individuals compared to the enrollment figures from 2021.