The number of people aged 100 or over in Japan has passed 100,000 for the first time. According to the country’s health, labour and welfare ministry, the number of centenarians reached a record 107,677 this year, 7,914 more than in 2025. The figure has been rising for 56 years in a row. About 88 percent of centenarians are women. The report is from Al Jazeera.
Japan’s health minister, Kenichiro Ueno, said: “I am very pleased that so many people are living long, healthy and active lives.” He cited advances in medical technology, healthy living and dietary habits as among the reasons.
Behind this achievement, however, lies a major demographic crisis. While the number of elderly people in Japan is rising fast, the birth rate has fallen to the lowest level in its history. The country therefore has to meet the cost of pensions, healthcare and social services while relying on a steadily shrinking working-age population.
Japan is ageing fast
About three in every ten residents of Japan are now aged 65 or over. That proportion is expected to reach roughly 40 percent by 2070.
According to government figures, there were more than 800,000 people aged 95 or over in Japan last year, while only 700,000 children were born.
The country’s population is also falling rapidly. Preliminary census figures show that in 2025 the population fell in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures compared with five years earlier. Only Tokyo and Okinawa saw population growth.
Japan’s population peaked at about 128 million in 2008. According to a forecast by the country’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, it will fall to 87 million by 2070, a decline of roughly 30 percent.
Why Japanese people live longer
Researchers say there is no single reason for Japanese longevity. A healthy diet, physical activity and an advanced healthcare system all play a combined part.
The traditional Japanese diet is high in fish, vegetables and rice and comparatively low in saturated fat. Obesity rates are consequently much lower than in many Western countries.
Walking, cycling and the use of public transport are also part of daily life in Japan. Older people take part in these activities regularly as well, and group exercise is popular there.
Japan’s universal health insurance system has ensured access to treatment and medicine at comparatively low cost, which has played an important part in raising life expectancy.
Why longevity is a new challenge
Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. In 2025 the country’s total fertility rate fell to a record 1.14, whereas a rate of about 2.1 is generally needed to hold a population steady. The number of working people is falling as a result, while the need for pensions, medical care and elderly care is growing. Over the long term this is creating major pressure on the economy.
To raise the birth rate, the government has introduced child allowances, subsidised childcare, maternity and paternity leave and various incentives. These measures have not yet reversed the long-term decline.
Experts say that fewer young people in Japan are marrying, that those who do marry later, and that insecure jobs, stagnant wages and long working hours are making it harder to start a family. Although women’s participation in the workforce has increased, household and childrearing responsibilities are not shared equally, which makes it difficult for many women to manage a career and motherhood together.
The effect on the economy
As the working-age population shrinks, the number of people contributing income tax and social security payments is falling. Spending on pensions, healthcare and elderly care, meanwhile, is rising. Pressure on public finances is growing as a result, and the tax burden on younger workers is increasing.
The effects of the labour shortage are already being felt in sectors including construction, agriculture, transport, healthcare and social services. In rural areas in particular, young people are moving to the cities, leaving many regions depopulated and short of services.
Ageing is rising worldwide, not only in Japan
The World Health Organization (WHO) says rising life expectancy is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Social and economic development and advances in healthcare have reduced mortality, and most people can now expect to live beyond the age of 60.
According to WHO figures, global average life expectancy stood at 73.3 years in 2024, 8.4 years higher than in 1995. The number of people aged 60 or over worldwide could rise from 1.1 billion in 2023 to 1.4 billion by 2030.
The trend towards ageing is not the same in every country. According to United Nations figures, Japan’s median age in 2023 was 49 years, the highest in the world. The figure was 47.5 years in Italy, 46.2 in Portugal, 45.7 in Greece and 45.1 in Germany.