Does population aging aggravate air pollution in China?

China is experiencing rapid population aging and environmental pollution problems. There is a strong body of evidence supporting the notion that population aging may increase energy demand and aggravate related emissions. In this paper, we construct an extended KAYA model with aging variables. Drawing on panel data of 82 cities in China from 2014 to 2017, we aim to investigate whether population aging affects air pollution. Our estimates show that population aging has a significant negative impact on air quality, whereby a 1% change in the proportion of the resident population aged 65 years or above is associated with a 0.121% change in Air Quality Index in the same direction. The implication is that the increase in population aging aggravates air pollution in China in our study periods. By introducing a mediation effect, we further analyze the possible pathways of population aging with regard to air quality. The results show that population aging aggravates air pollution by increasing fossil fuel consumption and increasing the consumption of medical products. Promoting the development of energy-efficient products and services related to elderly people’s consumption may be necessary to mitigate the environmental impact of population aging in China.