Asia and Europe are home to some of the world’s oldest populations, those ages 65 and above. At the top is Japan at 28 percent, followed by Italy at 23 percent. Finland, Portugal, and Greece round out the top five at just under 22 percent.
Southern Europe, which includes such countries Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain, is the oldest region in the world with 21 percent of the population ages 65+.
Twelve percent of China’s population is age 65 or above. That share is 16 percent in the United States, 6 percent in India, and 3 percent in Nigeria.
Top 50 Countries With the Largest Number of Older Adults
| wdt_ID | Rank | Country | # 65+ (in millions) | % 65+ (of total population) | # total population (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | China | 166.37 | 11.9 | 1398.03 |
| 2 | 2 | India | 84.9 | 6.1 | 1391.89 |
| 3 | 3 | United States | 52.76 | 16 | 329.15 |
| 4 | 4 | Japan | 35.58 | 28.2 | 126.18 |
| 5 | 5 | Russian Federation | 21.42 | 14.6 | 146.73 |
| 6 | 6 | Brazil | 17.79 | 8.5 | 209.33 |
| 7 | 7 | Germany | 17.78 | 21.4 | 83.1 |
| 8 | 8 | Indonesia | 15.16 | 5.6 | 268.42 |
| 9 | 9 | Italy | 13.76 | 22.8 | 60.34 |
| 10 | 10 | France | 13.16 | 20.3 | 64.83 |
Sources: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects 2019, https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/, and Toshiko Kaneda, Charlotte Greenbaum, and Kaitlyn Patierno, 2019 World Population Data Sheet (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2019).
Top 50 Countries With the Largest Percentage of Older Adults
Top 50 Countries With the Largest Percentage of Older Adults
| wdt_ID | - | Country | % 65+* | Age 65-74 | Age 75-84 | Age 85 and over | 65+ Pop. (in Millions) | Total (in Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Japan | 28.2 | 50 | 34 | 16 | 35.58 | 126.18 |
| 2 | 2 | Italy | 22.8 | 49 | 35 | 16 | 13.76 | 60.34 |
| 3 | 3 | Finland | 21.9 | 58 | 30 | 12 | 1.21 | 5.52 |
| 4 | 4 | Portugal | 21.8 | 51 | 35 | 14 | 2.24 | 10.27 |
| 5 | 5 | Greece | 21.8 | 48 | 35 | 17 | 2.33 | 10.70 |
| 6 | 6 | Germany | 21.4 | 47 | 39 | 14 | 17.78 | 83.10 |
| 7 | 7 | Bulgaria | 21.3 | 59 | 31 | 9 | 1.49 | 6.98 |
| 8 | 8 | Croatia | 20.4 | 54 | 34 | 12 | 0.83 | 4.05 |
| 9 | 9 | France | 20.3 | 54 | 29 | 17 | 13.16 | 64.83 |
| 10 | 10 | Latvia | 20.3 | 50 | 36 | 15 | 0.39 | 1.91 |
Sources: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects 2019, https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/, and Toshiko Kaneda, Charlotte Greenbaum, and Kaitlyn Patierno, 2019 World Population Data Sheet (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2019).
Which Countries Have the Largest Share of People Ages 75+? Ages 85+?
| wdt_ID | Rank | Country | % 65+ (of total population) | # 65+ (in millions) | # total population (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Japan | 28.2 | 3,558.0 | 12,618.0 |
| 2 | 2 | Italy | 22.8 | 1,376.0 | 6,034.0 |
| 3 | 3 | Finland | 21.9 | 121.0 | 552.0 |
| 4 | 4 | Portugal | 21.8 | 224.0 | 1,027.0 |
| 5 | 5 | Greece | 21.8 | 233.0 | 1,070.0 |
| 6 | 6 | Germany | 21.4 | 1,778.0 | 8,310.0 |
| 7 | 7 | Bulgaria | 21.3 | 149.0 | 698.0 |
| 8 | 8 | Croatia | 20.4 | 83.0 | 405.0 |
| 9 | 9 | France | 20.3 | 1,316.0 | 6,483.0 |
| 10 | 10 | Latvia | 20.3 | 39.0 | 191.0 |
*Breakdown of 65+ population (totaling 100%) across three columns show the share of 65-74, 75-84, and 85+
Sources: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects 2019, https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/, and Toshiko Kaneda, Charlotte Greenbaum, and Kaitlyn Patierno, 2019 World Population Data Sheet (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2019).