National Statistics UK Snapshot Neighbourhood Economy Page of instant figures Census About ONS Jobs 20 March 2010
  home | focus on | Older People
  
Advanced
focus on older people

Older People


-
- - About this series - -
-
-
-
-
Each overview in the Focus on series combines data from various sources to illustrate its topic, and provide links to further information.
-
-
-
-
*
-
- - Also in the series - -
-
-
-
-
arrow Children
arrow Digital Age
arrow Environmental Accounts
arrow Ethnicity & Identity
arrow Families
arrow Gender
arrow Health
arrow London
arrow Older People
arrow People & Migration
arrow Religion
arrow Social Inequalities
arrow Wales: Its people
arrow Cymru: Ei Phobl
arrow Young People
-
-
-
-
*
Focus on Older People paints a picture of people aged 50 and over in the UK today. It includes information on their characteristics, lifestyles and experiences, placing particular emphasis on changes with age.

Older people make up an increasing proportion of our population. The blurring of the various stages in our lifecycle mean that older people are as varied as any other group in our society. Many older people lead active and healthy lives for many years over the age of 50. Employment rates for people in their fifties have risen in the past decade, and it is this age group who are most likely to be providing unpaid care. However, for those at older ages, there may be barriers which prevent them from participating in a wide variety of activities. These may be financial, or related to health or lack of transport.

-
-
-
-
arrow Population
Ageing: Fastest increase in the 'oldest old'
- arrow Living arrangements
3 in 5 women aged 75+ live alone
-
arrow Subnational population ageing
Oldest in West Somerset
- arrow Housing
Half of older people households own their home
-
arrow Labour market
More older people in employment between 1996 and 2008
- arrow Health & well being
Living longer, more years in poor health
-
arrow Health & social care
'A third of older carers care for 35 or more hours/week
- arrow Income & expenditure
Pensioner incomes rose by 39% in 12 years
-
arrow Lifestyles
Older women more likely than men to use public transport
- arrow Quality of life
Quality of life and social participation fall with age
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
arrow Download full report & data -
-
-
-
-
-
*
 Updated 1 May 2009
-
-
-
-