This country has over 100,000 people age 100 or older for first time - usatoday.com

Hear this story Japan now has more than 100,000 people aged 100 or older, marking the first time the country's centenarian population has reached that level.

There were 107,677 people at least 100 years old as of Sept. 1, according to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare . That's 7,914 more such people than the previous year and the 56th consecutive year the number has increased. Japan also has the highest national population of centenarians in the world, according to The Independent . Japan is also the first country to surpass 100,000 centenarians, according to Scientific American .

The United States had an estimated 101,000 centenarians in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau . That figure is a projection rather than a current census count, so it is not directly comparable with Japan's 2026 figure.