Japan Welcome to the United Nations（日本欢迎来到联合国）.pdfVIP

4. Japan (a) Past trends The total fertility rate in Japan fell from 2.75 births per woman in 1950-1955 to 2.08 births in 1955- 1960. Total fertility remained at the near-replacement level between 1960 and 1975, and it resumed falling slowly, reaching 1.49 births in 1990-1995. During the same period, the life expectancy at birth for both sexes combined increased markedly, from 63.9 years in 1950-1955 to 79.5 years in 1990-1995. The fertility decline and the increase in life expectancy in Japan brought about an increase in the proportion of the elderly. In 1995, the retired-age population (65 years old and over) represented 14.6 per cent of the total population, as compared to only 4.9 per cent in 1950. The ratio of the working-age population (15-64 years old) to the retired-age population increased from 11.0 in 1920 to 12.2 in 1950. It later decreased rapidly, to 4.8 in 1995. The notable increase in the median age of the population, from 22.3 years old in 1950 to 39.7 years old in 1995, is also indicative of the rapid demographic ageing that has taken place in Japan. (b) Scenario I The 1998 United Nations population projection assumes no net immigration to Japan from 1995 through 2050. According to the medium variant projection, the population of Japan would increase from 125.5 million in 1995 and reach its peak in 2005 at 127.5 million. Then the population would decline to 104.9 million by 2050 (the results of the 1998 United Nations projections are shown in the annex tables). The working age population (15-64 years old) of Japan is projected to decline continuously, from 87.2 million in 1995 to 57.1 million in 2050. The population aged 65 or older would increase from 18.3 million in 1995 to 34.0 million in 2045 and then decrease slightly to 33.3 million in 2050. As a result, the perce