In 2050 they will be 40% in over half of the prefectures
More and more single-person homes in Japan, in the face of the progressive decline in marriages, the decline in births and the lengthening of life expectancies. According to the most recent projections of the National Population Institute, which take into account the last census of four years ago, in 2050 over 40% of houses in 27 prefectures of the country will be occupied by a single individual, and 20% of these people will be over 65 years of age in at least 32 of the 47 prefectures that make up Japan.
The trend is already underway, warns the national institute, and it is a priority to create a system in which the elderly can receive medical and nursing assistance if necessary.
In 2020, nationwide there were 21.15 million single-person households, accounting for 38% of the total, with the percentage exceeding 40% in only five prefectures: Tokyo at 50.2%, Osaka at 41.8% , Kyoto at 41.2%, Fukuoka at 40.7% and Hokkaido at 40.5%. In 2050, this type of single-person household is expected to increase to 23.3 million, or 44.3 percent nationwide, and the percentage is expected to increase in rural areas.
The increase in the number of older people living alone is largely due to the decline in marriages. According to the institute, in 2020 the percentage of those who have never married at the age of 50 will be 28.25% for men and 17.81% for women. “The number of elderly people without close relatives is constantly increasing”, underlines the institute, adding that “it is becoming increasingly important to intervene in the community, to guarantee lasting support in the medical and nursing fields”.
