BEIJING, June 14 -- The number of people who hold and have used digital social security cards has topped 1 billion in China, according to the data released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Friday.

Currently, these digital cards offer access to 100 national services, and more than 50 billion instances of such services being accessed have been recorded in China, the ministry said.

Social security cards are divided into physical cards and digital cards. By the end of March 2024, the number of physical card holders had reached 1.38 billion in China, covering 98 percent of the population. Many people hold both physical and digital social security cards.

The country is promoting the construction of an "all-in-one" card for its citizens, vowing that securing access to social security services available for people across China by using the "all-in-one" card, will be achieved by 2027.

In the next step, China will speed up relevant efforts for card holders to be able to access comprehensive services across different departments and regions, the ministry said.

It will also expand the application scope of social security cards in the fields of medical treatment, medicine purchase, transportation and cultural experience.