Japan¡¯s total population declined for the 14th straight year in 2024, with the percentage of those age 65 and older hitting a record 29.3%, according to internal affairs ministry data released Monday.

As of October, the total population ¡ª which includes Japanese and foreign residents ¡ª was 123.8 million, down 550,000 or 0.44% from a year before. Japan¡¯s population has been falling year on year since 2011 after peaking in 2008.

As the number of older citizens grew, the younger population declined, exacerbating the country¡¯s aging society.

Those under 15 years old made up 11.2% of the total population at 13.83 million, down 343,000 from the previous year and marking the lowest figure ever. The age group has been declining since 1975.

Meanwhile, the number of those age 65 and above increased by 17,000 to 36.24 million.

The population of only Japanese nationals stood at 120.3 million, down 898,000 from the year before.

In contrast, Japan saw a net social increase of 340,000 people ¡ª marking the third consecutive year of growth ¡ª driven entirely by a continued rise in the number of foreign residents. Net social difference is calculated by subtracting the number of people who departed Japan from those who entered the country.

As of October, only two prefectures ¡ª Tokyo and Saitama ¡ª saw population growth within the past year. Tokyo recorded the highest growth rate at 0.66%, an increase of a 0.32 percentage point from the previous year, while Saitama reversed its previous trend of decline, posting a 0.01% increase.

The population numbers of the 45 other prefectures declined. Eighteen prefectures saw a population decrease of over 1%, including Akita (1.87%), Aomori (1.66%), and Iwate (1.57%).

Population decline accelerated in 34 prefectures, with Ishikawa showing the largest year-on-year decrease. On the other hand, nine prefectures saw their rate of decline slow, including Fukui.

In a breakdown of population by prefecture, Tokyo ranked at the top with 14.18 million, followed by Kanagawa (9.23 million), Osaka (8.76 million), Aichi (7.46 million) and Saitama (7.33 million).

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday that the government is implementing various measures to address the issue, such as boosting financial support for child-rearing, increasing wages for the younger generations and offering matchmaking opportunities.

¡°We will continue to promote policies competitively toward the realization of a society in which everyone who wishes to have children can have children and raise them with peace of mind,¡± he said.