The General Affairs Ministry of Japan announced that the estimated results of the population as of October 1st last year show that the total population of Japan, including foreigners, is more than 124 million people, with a decrease of 595,000 people or 0.48% annually. This is the 13th consecutive year of decline. Among them, excluding foreigners living in Japan, there are about 121 million Japanese people, with a decrease of 837,000 people or 0.69% annually, which marks the largest decline ever and has been declining at an accelerated rate for 12 consecutive years.
The data also shows that as of October 1st last year, the population over 75 years old in Japan has increased by 710,000 annually to more than 20.07 million people, reaching over 20 million people for the first time.
The National Institute of Population and Social Security of Japan pointed out that the data reflects that in 2033, nine years later, the population per household in Japan will drop to below 2 people for the first time, with an average of 1.99 people, and the proportion of one-person households will increase from 38% in 2020 to 44.3% in 2050. The proportion of elderly living alone over 65 years old will account for 26.1% of the total population in 2050, and the proportion of unmarried and living alone elderly will reach 59.7%, increasing by 26 percentage points in 30 years.
