The population of England grew by 19 per cent in the period 1951 to 2001 and is now older overall than it was in 1951. While the proportion of the population of England aged under 16 decreased to 20 per cent from 23 per cent on census day 1951, the population aged 60 and over increased to 21 per cent from 16 per cent on census day 1951. Thus, for the first time ever there are more people aged over 60 than there are children. This ageing of the population reflects longer life expectancy due to improvements in living standards and health care. It also reflects the fact that there have not been any events with a corresponding effect on life expectancy like that of the first and second world wars.
The ageing of the population of England is particularly evident when the number of people aged 85 and over is considered. On census day 1951, there were almost 0.2 million people aged 85 and over (0.5 per cent of the total population) in England. By census day 2001, this had grown to almost 1 million (1.9 per cent of the total population).
Population data (released Sep 02)
