Japan’s Senior Cohort Approaches 30% of Total Population

Notable Rise in Population Aged Over 75

The number of seniors in Japan, aged 65 or over, as of September 15, 2026, stood at 36.2 million, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, after a year-on-year rise of 20,000. Their share of the total population increased by 0.2 percentage points to 29.6%, for a new record high.

Senior population statistics show that there were 20.5 million women aged 65 or over (32.6% of the total female population) and 15.7 million men (26.3% of the male population), meaning women exceeded men in this cohort by 4.8 million.

The population of those aged 70 and over rose by 80,000 to 29.1 million, a 0.1-point increase from the previous year, bringing them to 23.7% of the population as a whole. This equates to one in four women and one in five men who are 70 or over. The number of seniors aged 75 and over increased by 430,000 to 21.7 million, up 0.5 points to 17.7%.

According to United Nations data, Japan’s senior population ratio (the ratio of people aged 65 and over) of 29.6% is 4 points ahead of Italy, in second place with 25.6%. Japan’s baby boomers, born between 1947 and 1949, are now 77 to 79, lifting the proportion of the population aged over 75.

The number of working seniors is also rising. In 2025, there were 9.4 million people in employment who were 65 or over, in the twenty-second consecutive annual increase. By industry, the highest total of 1.3 million were in wholesale and retail trade, followed by 1.2 million in healthcare and welfare, and 1.1 million in the service industry. Senior employees accounted for 13.8% of the total workforce aged 15 and over, or around one in every seven workers.

Among Japan’s senior population, 26.0%, or one in four, are in employment. There were new records for each of the age categories of 65–69 (54.5%), 70–74 (36.2%), and 75 or over (12.6%).

Data Sources

• Data on seniors aged 65 and over (Japanese) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Photo AC.)