Japan now has over 100,000 centenarians, up from 153
People aged 100 or older in Japan, by sex, 1963–2026. Annual September count.
Japan's centenarians in September 2026, the first count above 100,000 and the 56th record in a row.
Over 700 times the 153 counted in 1963, when the survey began.
Women are 94,298 of them; men 13,379.
the numbers
| Year | All centenarians (k) | Women (k) | Men (k) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 1970 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 1975 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 1980 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| 1985 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| 1990 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 0.7 |
| 1995 | 6.4 | 5.1 | 1.3 |
| 2000 | 13.0 | 10.9 | 2.2 |
| 2005 | 25.6 | 21.8 | 3.8 |
| 2010 | 44.4 | 38.6 | 5.9 |
| 2015 | 61.6 | 53.7 | 7.8 |
| 2020 | 80.5 | 71.0 | 9.5 |
| 2021 | 86.5 | 76.5 | 10.1 |
| 2022 | 90.5 | 80.2 | 10.4 |
| 2023 | 92.1 | 81.6 | 10.5 |
| 2024 | 95.1 | 84.0 | 11.2 |
| 2025 | 99.8 | 87.8 | 12.0 |
| 2026 | 107.7 | 94.3 | 13.4 |
source notes & method
Year-by-year table from the release's full PDF (mhlw.go.jp/content/12304250/001752502.pdf). Counts from Basic Resident Register reports, Japanese residents abroad excluded; the 2026 count is as of 1 September. Ratio (703.8×) and women's share (87.6%) are derived. The 2020 jump partly reflects register data clean-up; MHLW does not separate it.
Published 3 Nov 2026
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