JAPAN TODAY
 

TOKYO — Japanese society is turning increasingly gray as the estimated number of people aged 80 or older topped the 10 million mark for the first time, government data showed Sunday.
 

The estimated number of people aged 65 or older stood at a record 33.84 million as of last Tuesday, accounting for 26.7 percent of the total population, also a record high.

According to the estimate released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, the ratio of people aged 80 or older came to 7.9 percent of the total population.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research forecasts that people aged 65 or older will total 36.1 percent of the Japanese population in 2040.

 

The estimate was based on the census in 2010, taking into account the number of deaths and births in the following years. The projected ratio of those aged 65 or older in Japan is the highest among the Group of Seven nations.

The estimate suggests that the government will need to keep struggling to meet growing social security costs.

Of the total number of elderly, 14.62 million were men, about 23.7 percent of all men in the population, while 19.21 million were women, or 29.5 percent of the female population.

The ministry released the estimate prior to the Respect-for-the Aged Day holiday on Monday.