pensionpolicyinternational.com (19.09.2022) The share of Japan’s older adult population, those over age 65, has been increasing every year since 1950 and is expected to reach 35.3% of the total population in 2040. For the first time, Japan’s over 75s account for over 15% of the population, after their cohort rose by 720,000 to 19.37 million people, government data released Sunday showed, in further evidence of the country’s rapidly graying society. Also hitting a record high this year was the number of those over 65 — 36.27 million people, accounting for 29.1% of the population, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications data, which was released ahead of Monday’s Respect for the Aged Day holiday. Japan tops the world rankings for the oldest society by proportion of over 65s, well above Italy in second place at 24.1% and third place Finland with 23.3%.