Japan Forecast to Have 5.8 M. Dementia Patients in 2050

Tokyo, May 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan is forecast to have 5,866,000 elderly dementia patients in 2050, up over 1.4 million from 2022, an estimate showed said Wednesday.

For 2022, the number of such patients is put at 4,432,000, accounting for 12.3 pct of the population of those aged 65 or over, said a research group commissioned to make the estimate by the health ministry.

The elderly prevalence rate is predicted to rise to 15.1 pct in 2050.

The estimate, unveiled at a government meeting held Wednesday, is based on the results of researches conducted in four regions in the country.

The government will discuss how to address the projected increase in dementia patients and reflect the outcomes in a basic plan to be made as early as autumn.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]