1 of 2 Japan has the oldest population in the world, measured by the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the total population Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC Japan has the oldest population in the world, measured by the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the total population Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC
For the first time in history, more than one in ten people in Japan are 80 years old or older.
New data also shows this 29.1% of the country’s 125 million residents are 65 years old or older a record.
O Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and has long sought solutions to economically support its aging population.
According to the United Nations, the country has the oldest population in the world, measured by the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the total population.
The percentage is 24.5% in Italy and 23.6% in Finlandwho take second and third place respectively.
According to the National Institute for Population Research and Social Security, by 2040, people over the age of 65 will make up an estimated 34.8% of the population in Japan.
The employment rate of older people in the country is among the highest in major economies. Workers aged 65 and older make up more than 13% of Japan’s workforce.
But This did little to reduce the cost burden with social security.
2 of 2 The Japanese government approved a record budget for the next financial year, partly due to rising social security costs Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC The Japanese government approved a record budget for the next financial year, partly due to rising social security costs Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC
O Japan approved a record budget for the next fiscal year, partly due to rising social security costs
Efforts to increase the birth rate have also had little success given the rising cost of living and long working hours in the country.
Birth rates are falling in many countriesincluding Japan’s neighbors.
Last year, China’s population fell for the first time since 1961, while South Korea recorded the world’s lowest birth rate.
But the problem is particularly acute in Japan.
It is estimated that Last year, fewer than 800,000 babies were born in the country — the lowest number since records began in the 19th century.
In the 1970s, that number was over 2 million.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in January that his country was facing a collapse in the functioning of society due to declining birth rates.
However, Authorities remain reluctant to accept migrants as a solution to this decline.