A Study on Countermeasures to the Problem of Lonely Deaths According to the Increase of Single-person Households

Abstract

The issue of lonely deaths has become a significant challenge in today’s society. It refers to dying alone without assistance from others on account of social isolation, and it is one of the serious problems that elderly people are facing, especially in rapidly aging societies. Along with the acceleration of population aging in today’s world, the problem is no longer regarded as an individual issue but rather as a societal one. The core causes of this phenomenon include the absence of a social safety net, isolated living environments, and weakened family ties.

According to the United Nations, Japan currently has the highest proportion of elderly people in the world. Police data show that in the first half of 2024, a total of 37,227 people were found dead alone at home in Japan, with more than 70% of them aged 65 and older. About 40% of these lonely deaths were discovered within a day, but approximately 3,939 bodies were found more than a month after death.

Among these cases, the largest group was those aged 85 and older (7,498 people), followed by those aged 75–79 (5,920 people). The number of lonely deaths among people aged 70–74 was recorded as 5,635. In 2024, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research of Japan projected that by 2050, the number of elderly people (aged 65 and older) living alone will reach 10.8 million. In the same year, the total number of single-person households is expected to reach 23.3 million, suggesting that society must prepare for various problems stemming from the rise in single living.

Although the Japanese government has long sought to respond to population aging, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage these changes at the national level. Similar demographic challenges are also being faced by China and South Korea as well. In 2022, China’s population declined for the first time after 1961, while South Korea has repeatedly recorded the world’s lowest birth rate. The problems of low birthrates and population aging are becoming even more serious social issues, yet policies to address them remain ineffective. While many people hope to experience a happy and natural death in their later years, the reality is that an increasing number of individuals end their lives in miserable circumstances due to various reasons. Lonely deaths are not confined to the elderly. The problem has already emerged as a social issue across different groups in society. This study will focus on the case of Japan, a country known for its longevity yet facing a severe lonely death problem, and examine the types and causes of lonely deaths and also potential countermeasures for it.