Japan’s National Police Agency reveals a staggering number: almost 40,000 people died alone in their homes in the first half of 2024. This crisis is linked to Japan’s aging population, the oldest in the world. The agency hopes to shed light on this growing issue through its report.
The data reveals that 37,227 people living alone died at home, with individuals 65 and older making up over 70% of this number. Authorities discovered 40% of the bodies within a day, but nearly 4,000 corpses went unreported for over a month, and investigators found 130 bodies that had remained undiscovered for at least a year.
The largest group among the deceased were 85-year-olds and above, followed by 75-79-year-olds. People aged 70-74 also accounted for a significant number. The National Police Agency will present these findings to a government group addressing unattended deaths.
Meanwhile, experts predict that Japan’s aging population will worsen, with the number of elderly citizens living alone expected to reach 10.8 million by 2050. The total number of single-person households will hit 23.3 million in the same year. To combat this, the Japanese government introduced a bill in April tackling loneliness and isolation.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned last year that Japan’s declining birth rate puts the country on the brink of collapse. Neighboring countries face similar demographic challenges. China’s population fell for the first time since 1961 in 2022, while South Korea reports the world’s lowest fertility rate.
