National Statistics logo 22 November 2009

focus on older people archive

Older People archive  
Focus on Older People paints a picture of the people aged 50 and over in Britain 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 the very old, 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.

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arrow Population
19.8 million aged 50 and over in UK
- arrow Geographic Distribution
Highest in Wales, Cornwall and coast
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arrow Living Arrangements
7 in 10 women aged 85+ live alone
- arrow Housing
6 in 10 aged 65+ own home outright
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arrow Labour Market
Employment rates rose in 1990s
- arrow Pensioner Income
Net real incomes up by 25% in 8 years
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arrow Travel
Distance and trips decline with age
- arrow Life Expectancy
More aged 70 and 80 than ever before
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arrow Health & Caring
2.8m aged 50+ provide unpaid care
- arrow Lifestyles
TV watched for 3hrs 45mins a day by 65+
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arrow Download data -  
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About this series
Each overview in the Focus on series combines data from the 2001 Census and other sources to illustrate its topic, and provide links to further information. The online overviews will be followed up with more comprehensive analysis in fuller reports.



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