Japan’s Elderly Population Hits Record High

From Jiji Press

September 19 2021

TOKYO – The estimated number of people aged 65 or older in Japan stood at a record high of 36.4 million as of Wednesday, an increase of 220,000 from a year before, the internal affairs ministry said Sunday. 

The share of those elderly people in the nation’s total population rose to a record 29.1 pct, the highest among 201 countries and regions across the world.

Elderly men totaled 15.83 million, or 26 pct of the total male population. There were 20.57 million elderly women, or 32 pct of the female population.

The ministry released the data ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, a national holiday. In Japan, the share of elderly people has been rising since 1950. The figure is expected to rise to as high as 35.3 pct in 2040 when the so-called second baby-boomer generation, or people born in 1971-1974, reaches the age of 65 or o