Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Japan
Japan: Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) was 36,894 thousands in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
36,894 thousands
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
4th
of 233 countries
All-time high
36,894 thousands
in 2025
All-time low
7,450 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 65 years or older in Japan, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Japan recorded 36,894 thousands for population aged 65 years or older in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in Japan peaked at 36,894 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7,450 thousands, in 1970.
That places Japan 4th out of 233 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Japan, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7,450 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 7,623 thousands | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 7,921 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1973 | 8,222 thousands | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 8,525 thousands | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 8,819 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 9,135 thousands | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 9,484 thousands | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 9,837 thousands | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 10,210 thousands | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 10,563 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 10,904 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 11,234 thousands | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 11,564 thousands | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 11,849 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 12,310 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 12,704 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 13,126 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 13,601 thousands | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 14,098 thousands | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 14,693 thousands | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 15,316 thousands | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 16,010 thousands | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 16,693 thousands | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 17,376 thousands | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 18,073 thousands | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 18,774 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 19,526 thousands | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 20,285 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 21,020 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 21,760 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 22,552 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 23,349 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 24,075 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 24,682 thousands | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 25,477 thousands | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 26,409 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 27,294 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 28,108 thousands | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 28,930 thousands | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 29,429 thousands | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 29,787 thousands | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 30,810 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 31,908 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 33,007 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 33,863 thousands | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 34,670 thousands | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 35,299 thousands | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 35,801 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 36,147 thousands | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 36,398 thousands | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 36,652 thousands | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 36,788 thousands | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 36,717 thousands | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 36,815 thousands | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 36,894 thousands | +0.2% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 36,894 thousands is above the median for high income countries, which is 291.46 thousands, 126.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 36,894 thousands is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 105.87 thousands, 348.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8,723 thousands | 7,450 thousands | 10,210 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 12,195 thousands | 10,563 thousands | 14,098 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 17,777 thousands | 14,693 thousands | 21,020 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,264 thousands | 21,760 thousands | 28,930 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 33,072 thousands | 29,429 thousands | 36,147 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 36,711 thousands | 36,398 thousands | 36,894 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More population data for Japan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 103,784 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.5891 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2372 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 210.83 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.83 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in Japan?
- Population aged 65 years or older in Japan was 36,894 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 36,894 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,450 thousands in 1970.
- How does Japan rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- Japan ranks 4th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release