Japan’s new official data showed that more than 10 percent of Japanese people have crossed 80 years or older for the first time as the country encounters a rapidly aging population.
On Sunday, data released by the government, ahead of Monday’s “Respect for Aged Day” national holiday, also revealed that the share of Japan’s population at 65 or older extended to a record 29.1 percent from 29.0 percent a year ago.
According to the internal affairs ministry, the level corresponded with second-ranked Italy’s 24.5 percent and third-ranked Finland’s 23.6 percent.
“Japan has the highest percentage of elderly population in the world,” the ministry said in a press release.
For decades, Japan has noticed its population shrink and expand older as young people postpone marriage and children largely due to unsafe jobs and economic problems.
As an outcome, Japan has noticed ballooning costs for elderly care with not sufficiently young people to serve jobs and pay for different social and welfare programs.
The ministry said that with the baby boomer population turning 75 or older, Japan’s 124.4 million people are continuing to grow older.
Around 12.59 million people are 80 or older while 20 million are 75 or older, it said.
As an outcome, Japan depends on an elderly labor force.
More than nine million aged are working, responsible for 13.6 percent of the workforce, or one in seven workers in Japan.
