More than 10% of Japanese people are over 80 years old, a statistic recorded for the first time, according to data published by the government of this country that is facing an aging population, reports AFP.
Demographic decline in JapanPhoto: Junji Kurokawa / Associated Press / Profimedia Images
The government in Tokyo published these statistics on Sunday, on the eve of a holiday dedicated in the archipelago to “elderly people” (over 65 years old – no), reports AFP and Agerpres. From the other data that were revealed, it emerged that 29.1% of the Japanese are over 65 years old, an increasing percentage compared to last year (29%).
“Japan has the highest percentage of elderly people in the world”, explained the Japanese authorities, indicating the countries that occupy the other two steps of the world podium: Italy (24.5%) and Finland (23.6%).
For several decades, Japan’s population has been declining and aging, in the context of young Japanese postponing the moment of marriage and the one in which they decide to have children, largely due to job insecurity and economic difficulties.
From a total population of 124 million inhabitants, Japan thus counts 12.59 million people over 80 years old (10.1%) and 20 million people over 75 years old (16, 1%).
One of the consequences of this situation is that the Japanese work until increasingly advanced ages. Over nine million elderly people work, representing 13.6% of the active population.
This fact means that 25% of elderly people in the archipelago have a job – less than in South Korea (36.2%), but more than in the United States (18.6%) and France (3.9 %), according to published data.
In 2040, the percentage of elderly people in Japan would represent 34.8% of the country’s population.
Japan also sets a new record for centenarians
At the same time, a government report presented on Friday and picked up by the DPA agency reveals that the number of centenarians in Japan exceeded 92,000 for the first time, reaching a record level for the 53rd consecutive year.
The number of people over 100 years old increased by 1,613 compared to the previous year, reaching 92,139, as stated by the Ministry of Health in Tokyo.
According to the most recent study, approximately 88% of all centenarians are women. Life expectancy for women in Japan is around 87 years, and for men around 81 years.
Japan has seen a rapid increase in the number of centenarians since the government first counted 153 people over the age of 100 in 1963.
The number in question exceeded 10,000 in 1998 and 50,000 in 2012, according to official figures.
