40% of Japanese to be over 65 years old in 2060

A newly-released report predicts that Japan's population will shrink by about 40 million in the next 50 years while about 40 percent of the people will be aged 65 or older.

The report on Japan's expected demographic trends through 2060 was compiled by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

It says Japan's population will fall below 100 million in 2048 from the 2010 figure of 128 million. In 2060, it says the population will drop to 86 million.

It also says the average life expectancy is likely to expand further to 84.19 for men and 90.93 for women.

The report says the average number of babies born per woman will be 1.35 in 2060. That's slightly up from the previous estimate 6 yeas ago.

The institute says this is because more women who have held off having children are expected to give birth in their late 30's.

It predicts the number of people between the ages of 15 to 64 years will fall by nearly 50 percent to 44 million in 2060.

The previous estimate showed the proportion of the population aged 65 or older will reach 40 percent in 2052.
The speed of aging is expected to slow a little.

The institute says with the aging population and lower birth rates, the decrease in population will continue.