The median age of the population in Japan has steadily been increasing since 1950 and is projected to be around 47.7 years old in 2020. As of 2021, the median age of Japan is the second highest in the world, behind the Principality of Monaco. The elderly in Japan An improved quality of life and regular health checks are just two reasons why Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The life expectancy from birth in Japan improved significantly after World War II, rising 20 years in the decade between 1945 and 1955. As life expectancy continues to increase, Japan expects difficulties caring for the older generation in the future. Shortages in the service sector are already a major concern, with demand for nurses and care workers increasing. Fertility and birth rates The fertility rate among Japan’s population has been around 1.4 children per woman since 2010. Apart from a small baby boom in the early seventies, the crude birth rate of Japan has been declining since 1950 and is expected to be as low as 7.5 births per thousand people in 2020. With falling birth rates and such a large share of its inhabitants reaching their later years, Japan’s total population is expected to continue declining.

Over the last decade, Japan’s population has aged more and more, to the point where more than a quarter of Japanese were 65 years and older in 2022. Population growth has stopped and even reversed, since it’s been in the red for several years now.

It’s getting old

With almost 30 percent of its population being elderly inhabitants, Japan is considered the “oldest” country in the world today. Japan boasts a high life expectancy, in fact, the Japanese tend to live longer than the average human worldwide. The increase of the aging population is accompanied by a decrease of the total population caused by a sinking birth rate. Japan’s fertility rate has been below the replacement rate for many decades now, mostly due to economic uncertainty and thus a decreasing number of marriages.

Are the Japanese invincible?

There is no real mystery surrounding the ripe old age of so many Japanese. Their high average age is very likely due to high healthcare standards, nutrition, and an overall high standard of living – all of which could be adopted by other industrial nations as well. But with high age comes less capacity, and Japan’s future enemy might not be an early death, but rather a struggling social network.

Monaco is the country with the highest median age in the world. The population has a median age of around 56 years, which is around six years more than in Japan and Saint Pierre and Miquelon – the other countries that make up the top three. Southern European countries make up a large part of the top 20, with Italy, Slovenia, Greece, San Marino, Andorra, and Croatia all making the list. Low infant mortality means higher life expectancy Monaco and Japan also have the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, which contributes to the calculation of a higher life expectancy because fewer people are dying in the first years of life. Indeed, many of the nations with a high median age also feature on the list of countries with the highest average life expectancy, such as San Marino, Japan, Italy, and Lichtenstein. Demographics of islands and small countries Many smaller countries and island nations have populations with a high median age, such as Guernsey and the Isle of Man, which are both island territories within the British Isles. An explanation for this could be that younger people leave to seek work or education opportunities, while others choose to relocate there for retirement.

The mean age of childbearing in Japan was estimated at around 31.4 years in 2021, slightly down from the previous year. Within the Asian region, Japan showed one of the highest mean age of childbearing.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 15 to 64 Years for Japan (LFWA64TTJPM647S) from Jan 1970 to Jan 2025 about working-age, 15 to 64 years, Japan, and population.

Japan JP: Population: Female: Ages 25-29: % of Female Population data was reported at 4.844 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.936 % for 2016. Japan JP: Population: Female: Ages 25-29: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 6.968 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.438 % in 1974 and a record low of 4.844 % in 2017. Japan JP: Population: Female: Ages 25-29: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 25 to 29 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Retirement Age Men in Japan increased to 65 Years in 2025 from 64 Years in 2024. This dataset provides - Japan Retirement Age Men - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Japan Population Census: Female: Age 0 to 4 Years data was reported at 2,436,785.000 Person in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,586,167.000 Person for 2010. Japan Population Census: Female: Age 0 to 4 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 4,070,469.500 Person from Dec 1920 (Median) to 2015, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,558,029.000 Person in 1950 and a record low of 2,436,785.000 Person in 2015. Japan Population Census: Female: Age 0 to 4 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G002: Population: Annual.

This scatter chart displays population (people) against median age (year) and is filtered where the country is Japan. The data is about countries per year.

In 2023, the average age of persons engaged in farming in Japan stood at 68.7 years. The figure increased significantly throughout the past decade, compared to 66.2 years in 2010. Japan's agricultural workforce is shrinking Japan's aging population and low birth rate have produced a labor shortage in many industries. Since agricultural work is physically demanding and barely profitable and few young people are willing to inherit their parent's farm or enter the sector as newcomers, the number of commercial farm households consequently continues to decrease. The younger generations often prefer to move to metropolitan areas which provide work, convenience, and a modern lifestyle. Further obstacles to the Japanese agricultural sector Its geography complicates agriculture in Japan as the island nation regularly suffers from natural disasters. Typhoons, earthquakes, and tsunamis cause high damage costs to the agriculture, forestry, and fishery industry every year.Furthermore, only about 20 percent of the mountainous archipelago is suitable for cultivation, and the area of cultivated land keeps shrinking as more and more land is used for housing.

This dataset is about countries in Japan per year, featuring 3 columns: country, date, and median age. The preview is ordered by date (descending).

This dataset is about countries in Japan per year, featuring 4 columns: country, date, life expectancy at birth, and median age. The preview is ordered by date (descending).

This bar chart displays median age (year) by region and is filtered where the country is Japan. The data is about countries per year.

JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 0-14 data was reported at 12.256 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.304 % for 2016. JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 0-14 data is updated yearly, averaging 18.671 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.143 % in 1960 and a record low of 12.256 % in 2017. JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 0-14 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 0 to 14 as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

Japan JP: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data was reported at 21.455 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 21.382 % for 2016. Japan JP: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data is updated yearly, averaging 28.045 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 47.202 % in 1960 and a record low of 20.677 % in 2007. Japan JP: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

In 2023, approximately 9.4 million people within the age group of 15 to 64 years were counted in Tokyo Prefecture, an increase from about 8.94 million people recorded in 2020. Over 3.2 million inhabitants in the metropolis were aged 65 years and older.

This dataset is about countries in Japan per year, featuring 5 columns: agricultural land, alternative and nuclear energy, armed forces personnel, birth rate, and median age. The preview is ordered by date (descending).

This scatter chart displays nitrous oxide emissions (Mt of CO2 equivalent) against median age (year) and is filtered where the country is Japan. The data is about countries per year.

In 2024, approximately 8.6 million people aged between 50 and 54 years were part of the labor force in Japan. This group constituted the largest age group among the country's total labor force, which during that year amounted to approximately 69.6 million people.

According to a projection made in 2023, it was forecast that the number of people aged 65 years or older in Japan would increase from about 36.5 million in 2024 to around 37 million people by 2033. By contrast, the number of children, as well as the working-age population, was forecast to shrink in the same period.