By DAIKI KOGA/ Staff Writer
September 16, 2025 at 16:25 JST
Elderly citizens participate in a yoga class on Sept. 5 in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, as part of community efforts to keep the aging population active and socially engaged. (Akihiro Inose)
Even as the total number of elderly citizens marked a slight decline, government estimates noted a record high percentage in the proportion of aging residents in Japan's overall population.
A record number of elderly individuals are also employed as life expectancy increases and more remain in the workforce.
The number of people ages 65 and older stood at 36.19 million, a decrease of 50,000 from the previous year, according to internal affairs ministry data released on Sept. 15, the nation’s Respect for the Aged Day.
However, the proportion of elderly in the total population increased by 0.1 percentage point to 29.4 percent, the highest level since comparable record-keeping began in 1950.
By gender, there were 20.51 million women who were at least 65, accounting for 32.4 percent of the female population, and 15.68 million men, or 26.2 percent of the male population.
Japan's aging rate of 29.4 percent remains the highest among the Group of Seven developed nations, followed by Italy at 25.1 percent, Germany at 23.7 percent and France at 22.5 percent.
Among the 38 countries worldwide with populations over 40 million, Japan also ranks first in terms of aging proportion.
The trend is expected to continue.
By 2040, when the baby boomers born between 1971 and 1974 retire, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects the aging rate will reach 34.8 percent.
Highlighting both the challenges and opportunities of an aging society, elderly participation in the workforce is growing.
According to the ministry, the number of employed people ages 65 and older in 2024 increased for the 21st consecutive year to reach 9.3 million.
This means that one in four elderly individuals is still working, and one in seven workers in Japan is 65 or older.
The largest employer of elderly workers is the wholesale and retail industry, with 1.33 million employed, followed by the medical and welfare sector, which employs 1.15 million.
The number of elderly workers has increased across nearly all sectors compared to a decade ago.
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