Japan's percentage of elderly hits new record high | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Japanese government data show the percentage of people aged 65 or older in the country's total population has hit a new record. The size of the elderly working population is also at an all-time high.

The internal affairs ministry released the figures before Japan marks "Respect for the Aged Day" on Monday.

The ministry estimates that as of September 15, 36.24 million people in Japan were 65 or older. That's up some 20,000 from 2025.

Among them, 15.71 million were men, and 20.54 million were women.

The elderly accounted for a record 29.6 percent of the overall population, up 0.2 percentage points from last year. They made up 26.3 percent of all men and 32.6 percent of all women.

Officials say the proportion of elderly was the highest among 39 countries with populations over 40 million, based on projections released by the United Nations.

Another ministry survey shows Japan's elderly working population stood at a record 9.43 million last year, up 130,000 from the previous year.

The employment rate among people aged 65 or older was 26 percent, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous year.

By age group, the rate is 54.5 percent among those aged 65 to 69, 36.2 percent among those aged 70 to 74, and 12.6 percent among those aged 75 or older. These are all record highs.

The ministry says the number of elderly workers may continue to rise, as some industries are facing labor shortages amid the declining population.