Japan's Population Falls For 9th Straight Year
Japan's population has decreased for the 9th year in a row, with society continuing to gray.
The Internal Affairs Ministry estimates the total population, including foreign residents, at about 126.1 million as of October 1, 2019.
That's a decline of 276,000, or 0.22 percent, from a year earlier. Both figures set a new record, indicating the country's population decrease is accelerating.
The number of people aged 65 or older stood at about 35.8 million. They account for a record high 28.4 percent of the total.
The number of people younger than 15 totaled 15.2 million, for a record low of 12.1 percent.
The number of foreign residents living in Japan for three months or longer stood at 2.4 million, an increase of about 0.2 million. The population of foreign residents grew for the seventh year in a row.
