Number of Employed People Aged 65 and Over in Japan Hits Record High of 9.43 Million...22 Consecutive Years of Growth

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Releases Population Statistics for “Respect for the Aged Day”

The proportion of people aged 65 and older in Japan has reached an all-time high. As economic activity among the elderly increases, the number of employed individuals aged 65 and above has risen for 22 consecutive years, hitting a record level.

According to population estimates released by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on September 21, 2026, in conjunction with Respect for the Aged Day, the number of people aged 65 and older as of September 15 stood at 36.24 million, an increase of 20,000 compared to the previous year. This group now represents 29.6% of the total population, marking a new historic high. This is the first increase in two years. Last year, the overall senior population declined because more elderly people passed away than those newly reaching age 65. However, an official from the Ministry told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) that "the long-term trend of increase remains unchanged."

People lined up in front of a store in Tokyo, Japan, on September 18, 2026. Tokyo, Japan – Photo by Reuters.

Among all employed people, 13.8%—roughly 1 in every 7 workers—are aged 65 and over. This phenomenon is attributed to a combination of factors, including a higher pension eligibility age, an extension of the mandatory retirement age, and longer healthy life expectancy. By age group, employment rates have also reached record levels: 54.5% for those aged 65–69, 36.2% for those aged 70–74, and 12.6% for those aged 75 and older.

Excluding company executives and the self-employed, there were 5.86 million employees aged 65 or older. Of these, 1.4 million held regular full-time positions, which is an increase of 470,000 compared with ten years ago. Meanwhile, the number of non-regular employees—including part-time workers, temporary staff, and contract workers—rose by 1.78 million over the same period to 4.46 million.

By industry, wholesale and retail trade employed the largest number of people aged 65 and over, at 1.31 million, followed by health care and welfare at 1.22 million. The proportion of employed individuals aged 65 and older was highest in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector, at 50.6%.

Meanwhile, Japan's aging rate remains the highest among the 39 countries worldwide with populations of 40 million or more. Japan ranked first at 29.6%, followed by Italy with 25.6% and Germany with 24.2%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.