Population: by gender and age, 2002, United Kingdom
Age structure
There were 19.8 million people aged 50 and over in the United Kingdom in 2002. This was a 24 per cent increase over four decades, from 16.0 million in 1961. The number is projected to increase by a further 37 per cent by 2031, when there will be close to 27 million people aged 50 and over.
Over the last 40 years there has also been a substantial change in the age composition of older people. The proportion of people in the UK population aged 85 and over increased from 0.7 per cent in 1961 to 1.9 per cent in 2002. At the same time the proportion aged 50 to 59 fell, from 13.2 per cent to 12.7 per cent.
Projections for 2031 indicate a more rapid ageing of the population over the next 30 years. People aged 85 and over will then comprise 3.8 per cent of the UK population.
Population ageing is primarily the result of sustained low fertility (low number of births). Falling fertility leads to fewer young people in the population and hence a rise in the proportion of older people. Declines in mortality are also an important factor. In particular, falls in the death rates at older ages have contributed to the increase in the number of older people.
Gender
Older women outnumber older men, as death rates are greater among men than among women. The improvement in death rates among older men has led to a narrowing of the gap. There were 28 per cent more women than men aged 50 and over in 1961, but only 18 per cent more in 2002.
Projections indicate a further narrowing of the gap by 2031, when it is expected that there will be 14 per cent more women than men aged 50 and over.
The greater number of women than men is most pronounced among the very old, as women tend to live longer than men. The death of men in the World Wars has also had an impact. In 2002 there were 2.6 women for every man aged 85 and over. This compares with 2.3 women per man in 1961, but is projected to fall to 1.5 by 2031.
Ethnicity
A very small proportion of older people in Great Britain (4 per cent) are from non-White minority ethnic groups. In 2001, 15 per cent of people from non-White minority ethnic groups were aged 50 and over (around 672,000 people). This compares with 33 per cent of the overall population.
Black Caribbeans have the oldest age structure of all the non-White ethnic groups – 24 per cent were aged 50 and over. The Mixed group had the youngest age structure, with just under 8 per cent aged 50 and over.
Correction Notice
On 14/05/04, data was corrected following a production error. On 11/08/2004, an error was found in the Ethnicity section, first sentence, paragraph 8. The error involved the calculation of a percentage and ONS apologises for any inconvenience caused.
Sources: Population Estimates, Office for National Statistics for data up to 2002 on age structure and gender Population Projections, Government Actuary’s Department for data for 2031 on age structure and gender Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics for ethnicity data Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland for ethnicity data Census, April 2001, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for ethnicity data
Notes: Unless otherwise stated older people refers to those aged 50 years and over.
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