Visualizing Japan’s Aging Population – Center for Data Innovation

Reuters has created a series of data visualizations illustrating the growth of Japan’s increasingly large elderly population. The visualizations show that Japan had a baby boom after World War II but that more than 35 percent of its population will be 65 or older by 2050, significantly more than the 15 percent of the global population that will be 65 or older. The effects of Japan’s aging population are already noticeable in rural areas, which younger people have left to find jobs in cities. As a result, rural areas have a smaller, older tax base and less revenue to provide services such as public transportation.