White groups have an older age structure than other ethnic groups, reflecting past immigration and fertility patterns.
The White Irish group had the oldest age structure of all in 2001, with one in four people in Britain aged 65 and over. Among the non-White group, Black Caribbeans had the largest proportion of people aged 65 and over (11 per cent) reflecting the first large-scale migration of non-White groups to Britain back in the 1950s.
The Mixed group had the youngest age structure - half (50 per cent) were under the age of 16. The Bangladeshi, Other Black and Pakistani groups also had young age structures: 38 per cent of both the Bangladeshi and Other Black groups were aged under 16, and 35 per cent of Pakistanis also fell into this age group. This was almost double the proportion of the White British group where one in five (20 per cent) were under the age of 16.
Progressive ageing of the non-White ethnic groups is anticipated in the future, but this will depend on fertility levels, mortality rates and future net migration.
Sex distribution of people aged 65 and over: by ethnic group, April 2001, GB
Differences in mortality rates mean that women aged 65 and over normally outnumber men. This can clearly be seen in the White (with 58 per cent women), Mixed (55 per cent) and Chinese ethnic groups (54 per cent). However for some ethnic groups this has been affected by differing immigration patterns. This is particularly evident in the Bangladeshi group where only one third (34 per cent) of those aged 65 and over were women. Similarly, for the Pakistani group, women made up 45 per cent of the 65 and over age group.
Sources: Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics; Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland
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Population