Japan’s elderly population totals record 35.88 M.

September 16, 2019

Tokyo--The estimated number of people aged 65 or older in Japan stood at 35.88 million as of Sunday, accounting for 28.4 pct of the nation's total population, with both figures hitting record highs, an internal affairs ministry survey showed the same day.

The share of the elderly population was the highest among 201 countries and regions in the world. The elderly population increased 320,000 from a year earlier.

The survey results, released ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, a national holiday, suggests Japan's urgent tasks of tackling challenges such as social security system reform and labor shortages in rapidly aging society.

Elderly men totaled 15.60 million, up 150,000, while the number of elderly women increased 170,000 to 20.28 million.

According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the elderly population is expected to account for 30.0 pct of the total population in 2025 and 35.3 pct in 2040, when the second baby boomers, who were born in 1971-1974, will be 65 or older.

The number of people aged 70 or older stood at a record 27.15 million, as the first baby boomer generation, born in 1947 to 1949, reached that age.

In 2018, people aged 65 or older who were in the workforce increased 550,000 to a record 8.62 million, rising for the 15th straight year. Of the total, men totaled 5.12 million and women 3.50 million.

Elderly people accounted for 12.9 pct of the total workforce, hitting a record high.

Of total workers aged 65 or older, those in the wholesale and retail industries made up the largest group, of 1.27 million, followed by 1.07 million people working in the agriculture and forestry sectors and 940,000 people involved in manufacturing.

Of 4.69 million elderly workers, excluding corporate executives and self-employed people, 3.58 million, or 76.3 pct, had nonregular jobs, up 2.04 million from a decade ago.

The largest group of such workers said they chose the work style because they wanted to work at times convenient for them. Jiji Press