ObjectiveActive participation of the older adults in the society is crucial; however, frailty prevents social participation. Meanwhile, many older adults participate daily in social activities, even with frailty. This study aims to examine whether older adults with frailty have lower social participation than those without frailty in Japan. We also investigated whether older adults with frailty and higher subjective health participate in society to the same extent as the general older population. This study included 1,082 Japanese individuals aged 65 years and older participating in the online survey. Participants answered questions on social participation, frailty, subjective health, and demographics.ResultsParticipants in the robust group had higher social participation rates than those in the frailty and pre-frailty groups. Meanwhile, frail older participants with higher subjective health had similar social participation as the robust participants. Many older adults acquire frailty despite their individual effort. Meanwhile, improving subjective health may be effective, even with frailty. The relationship between subjective health, frailty, and social participation is primitive and further studies are needed.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-023-06407-x.