Evolution characteristics of spatial pattern of population aging in Tuojiang River Basin in recent 30 years

Using county data from censuses in the years of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, based on DeoDA-GIS platform, by means of spatial auto-correlation analysis and population gravity center model, a measurement was made of the spatial distribution pattern and evolution characteristics of population aging in each county in the Tuojiang River basin. The results showed that:(1) Population aging in the Tuojiang River Basin presents a "homogeneous" spatial distribution, and the aging process continues to advance with time.(2) In the past 30 years, the burden coefficient of the overall elderly population has increased rapidly, and the overall pension burden is ever on the increase, but the growth rate of the pension burden is different among counties.(3) The density of the elderly population increases with the passage of time, and the spatial differentiation among counties is significant.(4) In the past 30 years, the center of gravity of aging coefficient and aging burden coefficient in the Tuojiang River basin moved towards the southeast, and the center of gravity of elderly population density moved towards the northwest, showing an unbalanced spatial distribution of the elderly population.(5) There is a significant positive correlation between the spatial distribution of the elderly population, and the overall spatial aggregation is continuously enhanced, showing the spatial distribution characteristics of high-high and low-low aggregation. The past 30 years saw a spatial location shift of high-high towards low-low aggregation types.The regional distribution characteristics and evolution of population aging in the Tuojiang River basin are examined from the perspective of space.