From blueprint to budget: health economics as the compass for China’s National Dementia Action Plan

The release of China’s National Dementia Action Plan (2024–30) in 2025 marks a historic mobilisation of state resources to address the epicentre of the global neurodegenerative transition.1 As the world’s largest demographic ageing laboratory, China’s political commitment provides a model for global health. However, a considerable implementation gap persists globally between clinical ambition and fiscal execution. Faced with competing priorities, local policy makers navigate a fiscal fog, often without the granular economic evidence required to justify ring-fencing funds.