The article based on the analysis of articles by Chinese sociologists, the materials of the National Census of China and sample statistical surveys of the population, organized in different periods, presents key statistical indicators on the sources of income of elderly urban and rural residents of China. We analyse, in particular, the total number of elderly people in urban and rural areas, categories of such citizens by source of income and guaranteed income in different periods of the All-China Census and sample statistical population surveys. Data on the preliminary results of the 2020 National Population Census are presented. The statistics researched in the article confirm the crisis of the traditional life-support model of the elderly in China and its gradual replacement by the modern model, which is reflected in the increasing role of public pension provision for the elderly in China.