A record 19,039 people with dementia in Japan were reported missing in 2023 — nearly double the figure from 10 years earlier — with more than 500 of those having been found dead, according to the National Police Agency.

Among those who went missing, 18,221 of them, or 96%, were located last year. About 74% were found on the same day that a missing person report was filed for them.

Meanwhile, 553 people were found dead, the NPA said.