The number of centenarians living in Japan tops 100,000 for the first time
Perhaps even more impressively, it’s also the 56th consecutive year that centenarian numbers have broken records. 100 is an impressive number on its own, especially when you see it laid out in some kind of visual form. 100 coins, 100 books, 100 days on a calendar…you’re probably running out of physical room to display whatever […]
Japan has recently reached a new milestone, with the centenarian population surpassing the 100,000 mark for the first time in history. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of September 1, there are now 107,677 centenarians living in the country – an increase of 7,914 people compared to the previous year. This is the 56th consecutive year that centenarian numbers have broken records.
In comparison to the early days of tracking data in 1963, when there were only 153 documented centenarians, the number has skyrocketed to over 100,000 today. Currently, 94,298 of Japan's centenarians are women, making up nearly 90% of the population, while 13,379 are men.
The record-breaking centenarian population includes 54,294 foreign nationals and permanent residents, with 45,769 women and 8,525 men. This represents a significant increase of 1,984 people year-on-year. Nationally, for every 10,000 people in Japan, there are an average of 87.51 centenarians. The prefectures with the highest average include Shimane (186.65), Kochi (169.52), and Tottori (152.48), while Saitama (51.27), Aichi (57.79), and Osaka (60.06) have the lowest.
As Japan celebrates Respect for the Aged Day on September 21, the growing number of centenarians presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Many cities are reconsidering how to honor the birthdays of their older residents in light of these increasing numbers, hoping that Japan's birthday candle industry can keep up with the demand.
Written by urgent.news from SoraNews24's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
