JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Japan's elderly population hits record high

Japan's elderly population hits record high

Monday, September 16, 2024, 15:05 GMT+7
Japan's elderly population hits record high
An elderly man uses a mobile phone in front a station in Tokyo, Japan, October 11, 2018. Photo: Reuters

The number of people in Japan aged 65 or older hit a record high of 36.25 million this year, government data shows, as the country contends with one of the world's fastest-ageing societies.

The elderly now account for 29.3 percent of Japan's total population, also a new high, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Sunday.

The ministry said the proportion of elderly residents put Japan at the top of the list of 200 countries and regions with a population of over 100,000.

Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Germany and Croatia represented Europe in the top 10, with rates of over 20 percent.

South Korea stood at 19.3 percent and China 14.7 percent.

Japan is facing a steadily worsening population crisis, as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs, with a shrinking labour force to pay for it.

The country's overall population shrank by 595,000 to 124 million, according to previous government data.

Sunday's data showed that 9.14 million elderly people were employed in 2023, also a record.

They represent 13.5 percent of the total workforce -- or one employee in seven.

The Japanese government has attempted to slow the decline and ageing of its population without meaningful success.

AFP

More

Read more

;

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Latest news