Population aged 65 and over — all countries

Population aged 65 and over — Japan

Population aged 65 and over in Japan in 2025 — 37,002,737 people. Ranked 4 in the world out of 217. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 591.2%.

2025 37M people +0.22% vs 2024
World rank 4of 217
Period maximum 37M people2025
Period minimum 5.35M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population aged 65 and over — Japan, 1960–2025010M20M30M40M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 5,353,063 people1962: 5,651,762 people1964: 5,999,024 people1966: 6,428,570 people1968: 6,894,477 people1970: 7,302,926 people1972: 7,920,135 people1974: 8,528,779 people1976: 9,168,738 people1978: 9,880,743 people1980: 10,592,917 people1982: 11,303,508 people1984: 12,049,378 people1986: 12,927,527 people1988: 13,860,777 people1990: 15,013,983 people1992: 16,357,035 people1994: 17,709,145 people1996: 19,116,905 people1998: 20,628,128 people2000: 22,123,742 people2002: 23,704,379 people2004: 25,068,724 people2006: 26,821,799 people2008: 28,498,346 people2010: 29,581,642 people2012: 31,285,286 people2014: 33,379,643 people2016: 34,961,185 people2018: 35,944,852 people2020: 36,512,376 people2022: 36,790,059 people2024: 36,920,821 people2025: 37,002,737 people
Change over the period: +31.65M (+591.24%) Average annual rate: 3.02 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Japan

Japan 37M people
World 855M people
East Asia & Pacific 333M people
Eastern Asia computed 263M people
High-income countries computed 278M people
Population aged 65 and over — Japan, by year Japan All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 37M +81,916 +0.22%
2024 36.92M +111,445 +0.3%
2023 36.81M +19,317 +0.05%
2022 36.79M +69,672 +0.19%
2021 36.72M +208,011 +0.57%
2020 36.51M +258,905 +0.71%
2019 36.25M +308,619 +0.86%
2018 35.94M +420,853 +1.18%
2017 35.52M +562,814 +1.61%
2016 34.96M +731,009 +2.14%
2015 34.23M +850,533 +2.55%
2014 33.38M +993,239 +3.07%
2013 32.39M +1.1M +3.52%
2012 31.29M +1.05M +3.47%
2011 30.24M +654,364 +2.21%
2010 29.58M +434,984 +1.49%
2009 29.15M +648,312 +2.27%
2008 28.5M +815,954 +2.95%
2007 27.68M +860,593 +3.21%
2006 26.82M +907,007 +3.5%
2005 25.91M +846,068 +3.37%
2004 25.07M +681,497 +2.79%
2003 24.39M +682,848 +2.88%
2002 23.7M +773,936 +3.38%
2001 22.93M +806,701 +3.65%
2000 22.12M +762,916 +3.57%
1999 21.36M +732,698 +3.55%
1998 20.63M +755,495 +3.8%
1997 19.87M +755,728 +3.95%
1996 19.12M +722,595 +3.93%
1995 18.39M +685,165 +3.87%
1994 17.71M +676,044 +3.97%
1993 17.03M +676,066 +4.13%
1992 16.36M +684,685 +4.37%
1991 15.67M +658,367 +4.39%
1990 15.01M +604,249 +4.19%
1989 14.41M +548,957 +3.96%
1988 13.86M +483,422 +3.61%
1987 13.38M +449,828 +3.48%
1986 12.93M +419,758 +3.36%
1985 12.51M +458,391 +3.8%
1984 12.05M +405,383 +3.48%
1983 11.64M +340,487 +3.01%
1982 11.3M +358,086 +3.27%
1981 10.95M +352,505 +3.33%
1980 10.59M +350,424 +3.42%
1979 10.24M +361,750 +3.66%
1978 9.88M +362,577 +3.81%
1977 9.52M +349,428 +3.81%
1976 9.17M +330,572 +3.74%
1975 8.84M +309,387 +3.63%
1974 8.53M +299,517 +3.64%
1973 8.23M +309,127 +3.9%
1972 7.92M +310,506 +4.08%
1971 7.61M +306,703 +4.2%
1970 7.3M +194,495 +2.74%
1969 7.11M +213,954 +3.1%
1968 6.89M +215,524 +3.23%
1967 6.68M +250,383 +3.89%
1966 6.43M +228,349 +3.68%
1965 6.2M +201,197 +3.35%
1964 6M +182,650 +3.14%
1963 5.82M +164,612 +2.91%
1962 5.65M +152,783 +2.78%
1961 5.5M +145,916 +2.73%
1960 5.35M

Eastern Asia, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The population aged 65 and over. In absolute numbers this group is growing faster than any other: it expands both from the rise in life expectancy and from the entry of the large cohorts born in the middle of the 20th century. Japan and Italy lead by share of population, China and India by absolute number, and the divergence of the two rankings shows where the load on health care and pensions is larger in scale and where it is sharper.

Important: The threshold of 65 years is an international convention and is not tied to the retirement age of any particular country.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.