Japan vs United States: Population aged 65 years or older
Japan
36,894 thousands
in 2025
United States
62,898 thousands
in 2025
Japan rank
4th
United States rank
3rd
Population aged 65 years or older over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 62,898 thousands against 36,894 thousands in Japan, a difference of 26,004 thousands.
That makes United States's figure about 1.7 times Japan's.
Across all 55 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 226 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8,723 thousands | 22,105 thousands | 13,382 thousands | United States |
| 1980s | 12,195 thousands | 27,756 thousands | 15,560 thousands | United States |
| 1990s | 17,777 thousands | 32,759 thousands | 14,982 thousands | United States |
| 2000s | 25,264 thousands | 35,803 thousands | 10,539 thousands | United States |
| 2010s | 33,072 thousands | 45,397 thousands | 12,325 thousands | United States |
| 2020s | 36,709 thousands | 57,951 thousands | 21,242 thousands | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population aged 65 years or older, Japan or United States?
- United States, at 62,898 thousands against 36,894 thousands in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population aged 65 years or older between Japan and United States?
- 26,004 thousands, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United States rank globally for population aged 65 years or older?
- Japan ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 226 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release