A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GROWING ELDERLY POPULATION OF JAPAN AND INDIA

Abstract

India and Japan both are two quite different countries, generally from every aspect. Where India is a developing country and with a projected GDP growth rate of 6.5% in 2026, it is one of the fastest-growing emerging economies in the world. But as compare to India, Japan is significantly more advanced country from many aspects such as health care system, socio-economic status & growth, technology, etc. As per “International Monetary Fund (IMF)” 2026 projection, Japan’s current GDP per capita income is 35.7 thousand U.S. dollars but in India it is only 2.81 thousand U.S. dollars. This means that in Japan average individual income is around 12 times more than that of India. Apart from all these significant difference between the economic status, there is a significant difference in both of these countries in terms of population also as both countries represent two totally different levels of demographic transition. Where the Japan has earned the title of a “super-aged society” in the world and is a home for world’s most rapidly ageing population but at same time experiencing a continuous decline in its overall population, India is comparatively having young population but is ageing rapidly. As increasing elderly population carries many adverse implications with it, this research paper aims to offer a comparative analysis of the demographic transitions occurring in both India and Japan. Furthermore, it also tries to explore the policies and strategies, which these countries are implementing to manage the challenges and opportunities presented by their shifting age structures i.e. growing elderly population.