Japan's elderly population hits record 29.6 per cent, the highest in the world

Tokyo (ANTARA) - The number of Japanese residents aged 65 and over is estimated to reach a record high of 29.6 per cent of the country’s total population, according to government estimates released on Sunday.

This percentage places Japan as the country with the highest proportion of elderly people in the world among nations with a population exceeding 40 million.

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported that the total elderly population in the Land of the Rising Sun has now reached a record 36.24 million people, consisting of 15.71 million men and 20.54 million women, an increase of approximately 20,000 people compared to the previous year.

This data was released ahead of the commemoration of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday (21/9).

In September last year, the ministry recorded the proportion of elderly people at 29.4 per cent, which was also the highest figure in the world.

This record proportion of elderly citizens marks the third time an all-time high has been broken, following previous records set in 2022 and 2024.

Among the 39 countries with a population of 40 million or more, Japan is followed by Italy with an elderly proportion of 25.6 per cent, Germany at 24.2 per cent, and France at 22.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, the group of elderly people aged 75 and over accounts for 17.7 per cent of Japan’s total population, which is also the highest figure among the nine major advanced economies, followed by Italy in second place at 13.3 per cent.

Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects that the country’s elderly population will continue to increase, reaching 39.45 million or 36.3 per cent of the total population by 2045.

This surge is triggered by the entry of the second baby boom generation, born between 1971 and 1974, into the elderly age group.