- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,057
- 18,914
According to government figures released on 16 September, the number of elderly people in Japan has reached a record high. The population aged 65 and over increased by 20,000 from September 2023 to 36.25 million, now accounting for 29.3%. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported that the ageing rate, the percentage of people over 65, rose by 0.2 percentage points to 29.3% as of 15 September. This marks the highest level since 1950 when such data became available.
Tomiko Itooka celebrating her 116th birthday on 23 May 2024, in Ashiya, Hyogo (photo credit: Kyodo)
The number of women aged 65+ reached 20.53 million, representing 32.3% of the female population. Meanwhile, the number of senior citizen men was 15.72 million, or 26.1% of the male population. By age group, the population aged 75 and over increased by 710,000 to 20.76 million, accounting for 16.8% of the total population. The population aged 80 and over grew by 310,000 to 12.9 million, representing 10.4% of the total. This marks the first time the over-80 rate has exceeded 10%.
At the same time, the number of people aged 100 or older in Japan was estimated at a record 95,119 in September, marking an increase for the 54th year in a row: 83,958 were women, accounting for 88.3% of the total. Japan is known for having one of the world's most rapidly ageing populations and boasts the oldest person, Tomiko Itooka. The 116-year-old resident of Hyogo Prefecture was born on 23 May 1908. Male centenarians numbered 11,161, with Kiyotaka Mizuno, a 110-year-old Shizuoka Prefecture resident, the oldest male centenarian. Mizuno was born on 14 March 1914. The average number of centenarians per 100,000 people in Japan stood at 76.49.
english.kyodonews.net
Tomiko Itooka celebrating her 116th birthday on 23 May 2024, in Ashiya, Hyogo (photo credit: Kyodo)
The number of women aged 65+ reached 20.53 million, representing 32.3% of the female population. Meanwhile, the number of senior citizen men was 15.72 million, or 26.1% of the male population. By age group, the population aged 75 and over increased by 710,000 to 20.76 million, accounting for 16.8% of the total population. The population aged 80 and over grew by 310,000 to 12.9 million, representing 10.4% of the total. This marks the first time the over-80 rate has exceeded 10%.
At the same time, the number of people aged 100 or older in Japan was estimated at a record 95,119 in September, marking an increase for the 54th year in a row: 83,958 were women, accounting for 88.3% of the total. Japan is known for having one of the world's most rapidly ageing populations and boasts the oldest person, Tomiko Itooka. The 116-year-old resident of Hyogo Prefecture was born on 23 May 1908. Male centenarians numbered 11,161, with Kiyotaka Mizuno, a 110-year-old Shizuoka Prefecture resident, the oldest male centenarian. Mizuno was born on 14 March 1914. The average number of centenarians per 100,000 people in Japan stood at 76.49.
No. of centenarians in Japan up for 54th straight year to over 95,000
The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan was estimated at a record 95,119 in September, marking an increase for the 54th year in a row, health ministry data showed Tuesday.
