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Japan recently hit a demographics milestone—one-fourth of its 127 million people is now 65 years or older—while its overall population declined for the third consecutive year.

For the first time ever, the elderly make up a quarter of Japan’s population, increasing by 1.1 million to a record 31.9 million as of last October 1, government data released on Tuesday showed.

Meanwhile, the total population dropped by 0.17 percent to 127,298,000, the data said. The figure includes long-staying foreigners.

With the country’s low birthrate and long life expectancy, the government is now facing an the grim prospects of an ever-dwindling labor force supporting Japan’s rapidly graying population.