1.3: High Dependent Population Case Study - Japan (Paper 1)

Question 1

Explain the causes of an highly-dependent population in Japan: (3)

Answer 1

• Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world at 84.36 years. This is because of the good healthcare that Japan offers and the population also benefits from a healthy lifestyle. This leads to a large elderly population because people are living for longer. (1)
• The birth rate in Japan is 6.8 per 1000 which is concerningly low compared to other countries. Because of this low birth rate, there are less people being born whilst the elder population is growing. This leads to a large elderly population due to the low birth rate. (1)
• The fertility rate in Japan is 1.36 births per woman. This is because the the average age that a women gives birth is 29.5 years. This means that less children are being born and there is a lack of youth population in which the elderly depend on. (1)

Question 2

Explain the impacts the ageing population in Japan has on them: (3)

Answer 2

• The ageing population puts more pressure on health services. There is predicted to be a shortage of 380,000 workers for elderly care by 2025. Because of this, taxes will have to be increased to pay for healthcare.
• By 2060, 36% of the population in Japan would be over the age of 65. This would put immense pressure on the youth population for them to support the elderly because there is a significantly small amount of people that make up the youth population.

Because the birth rate is low, there is a shortage of students in schools, over 400 schools in Japan close each year. This is because there are a lack of students to educate and overall there is low demand for education, especially in rural areas.