The proportion of elderly people, aged 65 or over, in Japan continues to grow, with a record 24.84 million people, or nearly one-fifth of the total population, according to a government estimate released Sunday.

The estimated number of people in the age range as of last Wednesday had increased 550,000 from the previous estimate released in September last year to a record 19.5 percent of the overall population for an increase of half a percentage point.

The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications announced the results of the survey, timed to coincide with Respect for the Aged Day, a Japanese national holiday, on Monday.

According to the annual survey, the percentage of people between 65 and 74 remained the same as last year, but the proportion of the elderly 75 or older increased 530,000, or 0.5 percent.

The population aged 65 or over has been growing steadily since 1950, and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, another governmental body, estimates the ratio to jump to 25.3 percent in 10 years.

By sex, there were 10,490,000 elderly men, or 16.9 percent of all males, and 14,350,000 women 65 or older, comprising 22 percent of the female population.

Source:Agencies