Japan’s centenarian population has risen above 100,000 for the first time, reaching a record 107,677 as the country faces a rapidly shrinking workforce and persistently low birth rate.
The figure, released by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, represents an increase of 7,914 on last year and the 56th consecutive annual rise. Women make up almost 88 per cent of those aged 100 or older.
Health minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was “very pleased that many people are living long, healthy and active lives”, pointing to advances in medical technology, healthy lifestyles and diet.
Japan’s ageing population
Almost three in every 10 people in Japan are now aged 65 or above. That proportion is expected to approach 40 per cent by 2070.
The country recorded more than 800,000 people aged 95 or over last year, compared with only 700,000 births. Its population has been declining increasingly quickly, with preliminary census figures showing that numbers fell in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures in 2025 compared with five years earlier.
Only Tokyo and Okinawa recorded population increases. Japan’s population peaked at about 128 million in 2008, but the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects that it will fall to 87 million by 2070.
The rise in longevity has coincided with a record-low total fertility rate of 1.14 in 2025. A rate of about 2.1 is generally considered necessary to maintain a stable population without relying on immigration to increase the number of working-age people.
Researchers have linked Japan’s high life expectancy to several factors, including a diet rich in fish, vegetables and rice and comparatively low in saturated fat. Obesity rates are also significantly lower than in many Western countries.
Walking, cycling and using public transport are common parts of daily life, including among older people, while group exercise is widely practised. Japan’s universal health insurance system also provides broad access to treatment and medicines at relatively low cost compared with countries such as the United States.
The economic pressure of longer lives
Japan’s demographic change is placing pressure on public finances as the number of people drawing pensions and requiring healthcare or social care rises, while the working-age population contracts.
Fewer workers are available to pay income tax and social security contributions, while shortages are affecting sectors including construction, agriculture, transport, healthcare and social care. Rural communities are particularly vulnerable as younger residents move to cities and public services decline.
The government has introduced child allowances, subsidised childcare and parental leave schemes in an effort to encourage people to have children. The measures have not yet reversed the long-term fall in births.
Social scientists have also pointed to declining and later marriage rates, insecure employment, stagnant wages and demanding working hours. Women’s growing participation in the workforce has not always been matched by an equal division of childcare and household responsibilities.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described population decline and the falling birth rate as major national challenges. Immigration has helped offset some labour shortages, but foreign nationals still account for only about 3 per cent of Japan’s population and proposals for substantially higher migration remain politically contentious.
Ageing populations around the world
Japan is further along this demographic transition than many other countries, although longer life expectancy is a global trend. The World Health Organisation said advances in social, economic and health development had reduced mortality rates, particularly among older people.
Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2024, up 8.4 years since 1995. The number of people aged 60 or over is projected to increase from 1.1 billion in 2023 to 1.4 billion by 2030.
Japan had the highest median age among the countries listed in the latest historical estimates from the United Nations, at 49 in 2023. Italy followed at 47.5, Portugal at 46.2, Greece at 45.7 and Germany at 45.1.
