1 in 10 Japanese aged 80 or above as elderly ratio hits record high

Xinhua
17 Sep 2023, 22:49 GMT+10

TOKYO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- One out of 10 people in Japan is now aged 80 or older, while the ratio of elderly to the total population rose to a record high, ministry data showed Sunday.

Japan's elderly citizens, defined as those aged 65 and above, saw their percentage in the overall population at a historic high of 29.1 percent, according to the demographic statistics announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications a day before the country's Respect for the Aged Day holiday.

It made Japan the country with the highest percentage of elderly citizens among 200 nations and regions worldwide.

Elderly numbers, however, saw the first drop since records became comparable in 1950, falling by about 10,000 from last year to 36.2 million as of Friday, the data showed.

The number of individuals aged 75 and above has surpassed 20 million for the first time. Those aged 80 or older rose by 270,000 from last year to a record 12.5 million, or more than 10 percent of Japan's population.

On a different note, the working population among the elderly has continued to rise, increasing for the 19th consecutive year in 2022 to a total of 9.12 million.

The employment rate among the elderly has also climbed to 25.2 percent. With nearly one out of every seven people employed in the country considered elderly, Japan's ratio of working elderly is the highest among the major economies.

As the country grapples with declining birthrates and labor shortages in an aging society, the ministry said these ratios are expected to continue to rise.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Japan Herald.

More Information

23 ℃

Light Rain in Shinagawa City

Asia Pacific

Section

South Korean teachers seek legal defense against abusive parents

SEOUL, South Korea: Thousands of South Korean educators and school staff gathered in Seoul over the weekend to demand increased ...

Tragedy of 2019 Christchurch attacks remembered

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand In a heartfelt tribute to the victims of the tragic 2019 Christchurch attacks, the Australian Federal Police ...

Indonesian imports declined more than expected, shows government data

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Government data released this week showed that as imports, such as raw materials and capital goods, declined more ...

Gas exports from Chevron Australia continue, despite outage, strikes

SYDNEY, Australia: Contrary to earlier concerns, exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) continued from Chevron's two Western Australian plants last ...

Foxconn founder picks actress as VP choice in Taiwan presidential poll

TAIPEI, Taiwan: This week, Terry Gou, founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, announced that his running mate in Taiwan's presidential ...

Northrop Grumman, Lockheed sanctioned by China for sales to Taiwan

BEIJING, China: U.S. aerospace and defense firms Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin have been sanctioned by China for selling weapons ...

Business

Section