Japan is getting older very quickly! The population of Japan, 124,947,000 as of October 2022, declined by 556,000 from the previous year, while that of seniors (ages 65 or older) was 36,400,000 - up by 220,000. As a result, the elderly share 29.1 percent of the population. The rapidly increasing elderly and the decline of newborns is causing major concerns over how a shrinking workforce will continue to fund healthcare and social security.