A record 18,709 people with dementia or suspected dementia were reported missing in Japan in 2022, police data showed Thursday.

The figure was up 6.1 percent from the previous year and almost double the 9,607 reports filed in 2012, when the data were first compiled, according to the National Police Agency.

With the country's population rapidly graying, the police are working on measures to locate missing individuals more quickly, including by enlisting municipalities, local organizations and companies to spread information about cases.

By prefecture, Hyogo in western Japan had the most cases at 2,115, followed by 1,996 in Osaka and 1,902 in Saitama, near Tokyo.

Of the total, 17,923 people were found alive, of whom 77.5 percent were located on the same day as a report was filed, while 99.6 percent were tracked down within a week.

A total of 491 individuals were found to have died, including in accidents.

The overall number of missing people in Japan stood at 84,910 in 2022, a rise of 5,692 from the previous year and up for a second straight year.

Individuals in their 20s made up the largest group at 16,848, followed by those aged between 10 and 19 at 14,959.

The number of individuals aged 80 years and older stood at 13,749 and those in their 70s at 10,779, with the four age groups accounting for over 60 percent of the total.