Connecting Older and Younger Generations in Numbers29.6% of Japan aged 65+, about 4 in 10 feel lonely, Singapore becomes super-aged

On 15 September 2026, Japan had 36.24 million people aged 65 and over, 29.6% of the total population and a record high. It is the highest share among the 39 countries with populations of 40 million or more (Statistics Bureau of Japan, "Japan's older people in statistics"). In the Cabinet Office's December 2025 national survey, about 4 in 10 people said they felt lonely "often or always", "sometimes" or "occasionally" (Cabinet Office, national survey on loneliness and isolation 2025, key findings).

This page was created by Karatsu Farm & Food as part of the Karatsu Data Bank. It sets out, as published, figures from the governments of Japan and Singapore and from organisations doing the work on ageing, loneliness and isolation, and activities that connect generations. We add no conclusions or evaluations. Information on diagnosing or treating mental health is not covered.

How far has ageing gone in Japan?

On 1 October 2025 the ageing rate was 29.4%: 14.95 million people aged 65 to 74 (12.1% of the population) and 21.27 million aged 75 and over (17.3%). Government projections put the rate at 38.7% in 2070, one person in 2.6 aged 65 or over. The number of people aged 15 to 64 per person aged 65 and over fell from 12.1 in 1950 to 2.0 in 2025 and is projected at 1.3 in 2070 (Cabinet Office, Annual Report on the Ageing Society 2026).

19504.9%

19707.1%

199012.1%

201023.0%

202028.6%

202529.4%

2040 (projection)34.8%

2070 (projection)38.7%

More older people are working. In 2025, 9.43 million people aged 65 and over were employed, up for the 22nd year and 13.8% of all workers (Statistics Bureau of Japan). Employment rates were 54.5% at 65-69, 36.2% at 70-74 and 12.6% at 75 and over. The share of people aged 65 and over living alone was 15.0% of men and 22.1% of women in 2020 and is projected at 26.1% and 29.3% in 2050 (Cabinet Office, Annual Report on the Ageing Society 2026, summary).

Karatsu's ageing rate

In the 2025 Population Census (as of 1 October 2025), Karatsu had 38,299 people aged 65 and over, an ageing rate of 34.8%. The rate for Saga Prefecture as a whole was 32.2% (Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census, Table 2-7 (Japanese); values with unknown ages imputed).

For the yearly trend, population figures based on the Basic Resident Register (1 January each year) show the rate rising from 28.0% in 2015 to 34.0% in 2025. The number aged 65 and over has been roughly flat since 38,831 in 2022, and the share is rising because the total population is falling (Basic Resident Register figures as tabulated by OpenGov.jp).

Year	Total population	Aged 65+	Ageing rate
2015	127,536	35,730	28.0%
2020	121,278	38,353	31.6%
2023	116,972	38,802	33.2%
2024	115,475	38,877	33.7%
2025	113,890	38,734	34.0%

The national survey on loneliness and isolation

The Cabinet Office surveys 20,000 people aged 16 and over across Japan each year. In the survey of 1 December 2025 (11,873 valid responses), 4.5% felt lonely "often or always", 13.7% "sometimes", 19.5% "occasionally", 41.6% "hardly ever" and 19.6% "never" (Cabinet Office).

Often or always4.5%

Sometimes13.7%

Occasionally19.5%

Hardly ever41.6%

Never19.6%

On isolation, 9.7% "never" met family or friends they do not live with in person, 53.3% took part in no social activity (45.8% took part in at least one), and 87.0% received no support from government bodies, NPOs and the like (Cabinet Office).

How do younger and older generations differ?

An analysis of the 2021-2024 surveys presented to the Cabinet Office study group found that loneliness remained higher among young and middle-aged people, especially people in their 20s of both sexes. By frequency of contact with family and friends, however, people in their 70s and 80s and over were more likely to be isolated (Cabinet Office, expert meeting paper on loneliness and isolation).

An analysis of the surveys up to 2023 by the same group found that more younger than older people intend to help others in trouble. Professor Ishida Mitsunori of Waseda University, who did the analysis, noted that young people feel lonelier but still want to help, and raised the idea of finding ways to connect them (Cabinet Office, expert meeting paper, October 2024).

Item	Younger generations	Older generations
Loneliness	High, especially in their 20s	Lower than young and middle-aged
Isolation by frequency of contact	Some in their 20s also have little contact	More likely in their 70s and 80s and over
People who intend to help others in trouble	More	Fewer with age

Ageing in Singapore

The share of Singapore citizens aged 65 and over rose from 13.7% in 2016 to 21.4% in 2026. That makes Singapore "super-aged" under the UN definition (21% or more aged 65+), and more than 1 in 4 citizens are expected to be 65 or over by 2035 (National Population and Talent Division, Prime Minister's Office, "Population in Brief 2026"). Among all residents, the share aged 65 and over was 19.5% at the end of June 2026 (Singapore Department of Statistics, "Population Trends, 2026").

The Singapore government runs Age Well SG, a national plan to help older people stay active and socially connected in their communities. A core part is Active Ageing Centres (AACs) within walking distance: there are more than 230 nationwide, and 8 in 10 seniors now have access to one near home. Programmes cover five areas: social, physical health, cognitive, learning and volunteerism (Age Well SG, "Active Ageing").

Item	Japan	Singapore
Share aged 65+	29.6% (total population, September 2026)	21.4% (citizens, 2026)
Outlook	38.7% in 2070	More than 1 in 4 by 2035

Connecting generations through environmental activities (Green Nudge, Singapore)

Green Nudge, a social enterprise in Singapore, runs coastal clean-ups, workshops using waste, and learning trails with companies, schools and communities. It names seniors as one group it works with, saying it facilitates sustainability activities that promote seniors' physical and mental well-being and support active ageing. For young people it says it creates projects that turn their interests into opportunities for growth (Green Nudge, "Social Engagements").

In 2023 it pushed ahead with "Jalan Jalan", a project curating green trails with seniors to reshape narratives on health, and from September 2023 it began providing meals to elderly cardboard collectors (Green Nudge, "A Year In Review 2023"). For the meals it reports 600 against a target of 5,000 (Green Nudge, "Impact").

Item	Number	As of
Green activities to date	1,430	30 June 2026
Event participants	60,330	30 June 2026
Organisations worked with	960	30 June 2026
Clean-ups	434	30 June 2026
Participants in 2025	more than 11,100	2025
Community engagements in 2025	more than 140 (with 75+ schools, charities and community groups)	2025

In 2025 it ran a one-year pilot with an autism support centre in which about 25 individuals with special needs turned soft plastics into ecobricks (Green Nudge, "2025 Impact Report").

How are Singapore's sustainability rules changing?

Some climate disclosure requirements for listed companies in Singapore have been postponed. On 25 August 2025 the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and Singapore Exchange Regulation moved the start of ISSB-based climate-related disclosures for listed companies outside the Straits Times Index to FY2028 for market capitalisation of SGD 1 billion or more and FY2030 for below SGD 1 billion. Reporting of Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by all listed companies stays from FY2025 (ACRA, ACRA, "Sustainability reporting and assurance requirements"). In a parliamentary reply the government gave as reasons the time smaller companies need to prepare and not undermining competitiveness (Monetary Authority of Singapore, parliamentary reply, 25 September 2025).

On the other hand, the carbon tax rose from SGD 25 to SGD 45 per tonne on 1 January 2026, with a view to SGD 50-80 by 2030 (National Climate Change Secretariat, "Carbon Tax"). The targets page of the national Singapore Green Plan 2030 was also updated on 31 March 2026 (Singapore Green Plan 2030, "Our Targets").

Item	Earlier plan or level	Current plan or level
ISSB-based climate disclosures, listed companies outside the STI with market cap SGD 1bn+	FY2025	FY2028
Same disclosures, listed companies outside the STI below SGD 1bn	FY2025	FY2030
Climate disclosures, large non-listed companies (revenue SGD 1bn+ and total assets SGD 500m+)	FY2027	FY2030
Carbon tax (per tonne)	SGD 25 (2024-2025)	SGD 45 (2026-2027); SGD 50-80 by 2030

Places in Karatsu to act together across generations

We run environmental education (ESD) in schools and communities: beach clean-ups, making things from plastic and bottle caps collected from the sea, and nature observation at the OECM site "Yokomakura". We also welcome enquiries from local groups and facilities about activities that people of all generations can join. See ESD.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What is Japan's ageing rate?

According to the Statistics Bureau, 29.6% (36.24 million people aged 65+) on 15 September 2026, a record and the highest of the 39 countries with 40 million+ people. The final figure for 1 October 2025 is 29.4%.

Q2. What is Karatsu's ageing rate?

In the 2025 Population Census, 34.8% as of 1 October 2025 (38,299 people aged 65+); Saga Prefecture as a whole is 32.2%. In population figures based on the Basic Resident Register (1 January each year), the rate rose from 28.0% in 2015 to 34.0% in 2025.

Q3. How many people feel lonely?

In the Cabinet Office's December 2025 national survey, 4.5% felt lonely "often or always", 13.7% "sometimes" and 19.5% "occasionally", about 4 in 10 in total.

Q4. Do loneliness and isolation differ between young and older people?

Expert analysis for the Cabinet Office found loneliness higher among younger people, especially in their 20s, while isolation measured by frequency of contact was more common among people in their 70s and 80s and over. More younger people said they intend to help others in trouble.

Q5. How far has ageing gone in Singapore?

According to the Singapore government, 21.4% of citizens were aged 65+ in 2026, "super-aged" under the UN definition. There are more than 230 Active Ageing Centres nationwide.

Sources

Notes on reading the figures

Japan's 29.6% for 15 September 2026 is estimated from provisional figures, while 29.4% for 1 October 2025 is a final figure; the dates and methods differ. For Karatsu, the ageing rate of 34.8% is from the census (1 October, with unknown ages imputed), and the yearly trend uses figures based on the Basic Resident Register (1 January each year). The two differ because the dates and methods differ. Singapore's 21.4% is for citizens and 19.5% for residents (citizens and permanent residents).

The national survey on loneliness and isolation is a sample survey of people aged 16 and over. Trends by age come from expert analyses presented to the Cabinet Office study group and vary by survey year. Green Nudge's figures are those it publishes itself.

What this page does not cover

Information on diagnosing, treating or getting help with mental health, and the circumstances of individuals or individual facilities, are not covered. For help, please check your local authority's services or the support lines listed on the Cabinet Office's loneliness and isolation pages. Non-attendance and free school figures are in School Non-Attendance and Free Schools in Numbers, and Karatsu's population in Karatsu population data.

Citing this page and enquiries

To cite figures on this page or to ask about environmental education that people of all generations can join, please use our contact page or write to info@karatsu-f-f.com.

About this page

Created by Hiroaki Kojima (Vice Director, Karatsu Farm & Food) / Contact: info@karatsu-f-f.com (contact form) / Published: November 11, 2026 / Markdown: intergenerational-data.md

This page was made together with AI. See this data bank and AI for how.

Related links

▶ Karatsu Data Bank
▶ ESD (our environmental education)
▶ Karatsu population data
▶ School Non-Attendance and Free Schools in Numbers
▶ Beach Clean-ups in Numbers
▶ 高齢者と若い世代をつなぐ活動のデータ（日本語）