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Hong Kong (CNN) More than 1,300 elderly people go missing in China every day -- 500,000 per year, a new report claims.

Senior citizens aged 65 or over account for up to 80% of missing elderly person cases, according to the Zhongmin Social Assistance Institute under the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"This is obviously a huge number and a social issue we cannot afford to ignore," Wang Zhikun, president of the Zhongmin institute, said on Sunday.

Around 25% of those missing had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia, while 72% suffered some sort of memory impairment, according to the report.

Of those who were found after being reported missing, 25% then went missing again, report author Xiong Guibin added.

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