BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's local pension fund saw a return on investments of 5.52 percent in 2024, official data showed on Monday.

The fund, managed by the National Council for Social Security Fund (NCSSF), generated investment income of nearly 105.69 billion yuan (about 14.87 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to the NCSSF's annual report.

Despite rising economic challenges at home and abroad in 2024, the NCSSF managed to preserve and grow the value of the fund, thereby helping to bolster the country's efforts to address the aging population, according to the report.

Since December 2016, the local pension fund has generated total investment returns of nearly 412.36 billion yuan, averaging an annual return of 5.06 percent. The total assets of the fund reached about 2.82 trillion yuan at the end of last year.

The NCSSF stated that it adheres to long-term, value-oriented, and responsible investing, pursuing a prudent and steady strategy while ensuring safe and steady returns.

Monday's data also showed that the country's total pension fund assets under the management of the NCSSF, which include the local pension fund and a risk fund launched in 2023, amounted to nearly 2.84 trillion yuan at the end of 2024. ■