The number of elderly people in Japan has increased, while the average family has shrunk in size, census data released Wednesday reveal.

The number of elderly people aged 65 or older accounts for 26.7 percent of the 127.11 million total population, up 3.7 percentage points from five years ago, a summary report of the 2015 national census shows.

Meanwhile, the size of the average family has continued to shrink, according to the figures.