Japan’s Elderly Population Down at 36.19 Million

Jiji Press

10:34 JST, September 15, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The estimated number of people aged 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, falling by 50,000 from a year before, the internal affairs ministry said Sunday.

The estimate, released ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, a national holiday, decreased for the first time in two years but accounted for record 29.4% of the country’s total population, up by 0.1 percentage point.

According to the ministry, the decrease of the elderly population is attributed to factors such as the number of deaths among those aged 65 or over exceeding the number of people newly reaching 65.

Elderly men are estimated to come to 15.68 million, making up 26.2% of the total male population, and the estimated number of elderly women stands at 20.51 million, accounting for 32.4% of the overall female population.

The proportion of people aged 65 or older in the total population is increasing year by year. According to estimates by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, this proportion is projected to reach 34.8% in 2040, when the country’s second baby boomers, or those born between 1971 and 1974, will turn 65 or older.

In 2024, 9.3 million people aged 65 or over had jobs, with the number rising for the 21st straight year to hit a record high.

Of all workers aged 15 or over, those aged 65 or over accounted for 13.7%, up by 0.2 point.

The proportion of employed people among those aged 65 or over increased by 0.5 point to 25.7%.

Of all workers aged 65 or over, those in the wholesale and retail sectors made up the largest group, at 1.33 million, followed by 1.15 million people in the medical and welfare sectors and 1.04 million people in the services industry.

Elderly employees excluding executives at businesses and other organizations totaled 5.63 million. Of them, 4.33 million were nonregular workers, accounting for 76.9%.