A 2011 report from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research shed some light on just how fast things could deteriorate from here: The proportion of children under 15 will shrink from 14.6% of the population in 2000 to 12% in 2021, 11% in 2036 and 10.8% in 2050. Meanwhile, those of working age (15-64) amounted to 68.1% of the population in 2000, and their proportion is expected to decline to 60% in 2020, 58% in 2035 and 53.6% in 2050.
The only clear rising trend is the aged (65 and above), who will grow from 17.4% of the population in 2000 to 25% in 2014. The number of elderly will continue to rise while the total population drops so that in 2050 the aged will account for a whopping 35.7% of a population estimated to number around 90 million. Trouble.
