About 5.84 million people in Japan who are 65 years or older, or about 15% of the age group, will have dementia by 2040, up from 4.4 million in 2022, according to a projection by a Health Ministry team on Wednesday. was released.
The latest figure is considerably lower than an earlier forecast from 2015, which stated that more than eight million people would suffer from dementia by 2040. The lower estimate is partly due to people becoming more health-conscious and better able to change their lifestyles to address conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, the Ministry of Health said. It is believed that the drop in smoking rates has also helped.
Still, the projection showed steady growth in the number of people with dementia in this age group, while Japan’s population continues to age at one of the fastest rates. This amounts to 1 in 6.7 elderly people with dementia in 2040.
