The number of people aged 65 or older in Japan has reached a new record of 36.25 million this year, according to government data. Japan is known for having one of the fastest-ageing populations in the world, and this group now makes up 29.3% of the country’s total population, another all-time high. The data was released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The ministry stated that Japan has the highest proportion of elderly residents among 200 countries and regions with populations over 100,000. In Europe, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Germany, and Croatia also have high percentages of elderly people, each with over 20%. In Asia, South Korea’s elderly population stands at 19.3%, while China’s is 14.7%.
Japan is currently dealing with a growing population crisis. As the elderly population increases, so do the costs of medical care and welfare. At the same time, the workforce is shrinking, which means fewer people are available to support these expenses. Japan’s total population decreased by 595,000, bringing the overall count to 124 million, based on previous government reports.
This year’s data also revealed that 9.14 million elderly people are working, which is the highest number ever recorded. This group now makes up 13.5% of the total workforce, meaning about one in every seven employees is aged 65 or older.
Despite the Japanese government’s efforts to slow down the decline and ageing of its population, there has not been significant success. The growing elderly population remains a pressing issue for the country.
