This topic covers statistics on demography of population ageing at national and subnational levels and addresses various aspects about older people’s lives, including housing, living arrangements, economic activity status, health, income and expenditure, migration, lifestyles and quality of life.
Publications
Population estimates of household population at national level by broad age group (0-17, 18-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+), gender and government office region for England and Wales available on an experimental basis.
Paints a picture of the 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.
Interim life tables, which are produced annually for the UK and its constituent countries, give statistics on period life expectancy by age and sex.
Provides data on resident population, births, maternities, deaths, mortality and migration for local administrative areas and health areas throughout the UK, together with explanatory material and illustrative maps.
Based on abridged life tables, results are rolling averages, produced by aggregating deaths and population estimates for each three year period.
National population projections by age and sex for the UK and constituent countries. Includes information on the principal (main) and variant (alternative scenario) projections for each country together with details of the fertility, mortality and migration assumptions on which they are based.
Presents life expectancies on a period and cohort basis. Data is provided by age and sex from 1981 to 2056 for the UK and its constituent countries.
Population estimates available at national level by single year of age and sex and subnationally (local authority/health area) by five year age group and sex. These include additional selected age groups and broad components of population change.
Population of the very elderly (including centenarians) by gender, single year of age (90 to 104) and by age groups (90-99, 100+ and 105+) for England & Wales.
Covers population and demographic information. It contains commentary on the latest findings and topical articles on relevant subjects.
The probability of survival to age 75 estimates the likelihood of a person surviving between birth and age 75. The probabilities of survival are based on the assumption that individuals would experience that year's age-specific mortality rates throughout their lives. The results are comparable over time and between areas.
Overview
The population of the UK is growing in size and becoming increasingly older. Ageing refers both to the ageing of the population and the increasing number of people reaching older age.
Over the period 1983 to 2008 the number of people aged 65 and over in the UK increased by 18 per cent to 9.9 million; the number of people aged 85 and over doubled to 1.3 million and the percentage aged under 16 fell from 21 per cent to 19 per cent. In 1983 women and men had median ages of 36 and 33 years respectively, a difference of 3 years. The difference in median ages for women and men decreased to two years in 2008. It is projected to remain at this level to 2033.
Population ageing will continue for the next few decades. By 2033 the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to reach 3.2 million and represent 4 per cent of the total population and the population aged 65 and over will account for 22 per cent of the total population in 2033, while the proportion of the population aged between 16 and 64 is due to fall from 65 per cent to 59 per cent.
Population ageing will bring benefits but also a new set of challenges to society. Appropriate and up-to-date statistics on ageing are needed to inform policy makers and clarify requirements for service delivery. Key policy areas are health and social care, the ageing of the workforce, pensions, housing, transport and the growth of ethnic minorities amongst the older population and their needs.
This topic page provides a gateway for users to up-to-date statistics on population ageing and ageing-related topics.
Technical Data
A number of different sources are used to produce statistics on population ageing and ageing-related topics: the Census, Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study (ONS-LS), mid-year population estimates, national population projections, migration statistics and data from most government surveys, including the General Household Survey (GHS), Labour Force Survey (LFS), Annual Population Survey (APS) and the Survey of English Housing (SEH). Longitudinal data sources such as the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) are also valuable for information on ageing.
Census: the most authoritative data source for estimating the population. The Census provides essential information at national and subnational levels for government, business, and the community. It also provides the base for the mid-year population estimates. The Census in the UK is conducted every ten years. The Office for National Statistics conducts the Census for England and Wales. The Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency conducts the Census in Northen Ireland and the General Register Office for Scotland conducts the census in Scotland.
ONS-LS: contains linked census and vital event data for 1 per cent of the population of England and Wales. Information from the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses is linked with life events information (these are members’ birth, death and cancer registration). Sample selection is based on birth dates, using four dates (day and month) to create a sample that is representative of the population of England and Wales.
Mid-year population estimates, Office for National Statistics: the estimated resident population on 30 June of the reference year. Estimates are based on the previous mid-year estimate aged on and adjusted for births, deaths, migration and changes in mobile subgroups in the year to 30 June. They are produced annually.
National population projections, Office for National Statistics: an indication of the future population founded on trend-based assumptions of fertility, mortality and migration. National population projections are produced for the UK, its constituent countries, England and Wales (combined) and Great Britain. These projections are usually produced every two years.
General Household Survey, Office for National Statistics: an interdepartmental multi-purpose continuous survey carried out by ONS collecting information on a range of topics from people living in private households in Great Britain. The survey has run continuously since 1971, except for breaks in 1997/8 (when the survey was reviewed) and 1999/2000 when the survey was re-developed.
Labour Force Survey (LFS), Office for National Statistics: a survey of households living at private addresses (and in NHS accommodation) in the UK. Its main purpose is to provide information on the UK labour market that can then be used to develop, manage, evaluate and report on labour market policies.
Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics: combines results from the LFS and the English, Welsh and Scottish Labour Force Survey boosts. APS datasets are produced quarterly with each dataset containing 12 months of data.
Survey of English Housing, Department for Communities and Local Government: a continuous household survey that collects information from nearly 20,000 households each year about the characteristics of their housing and their attitudes to housing and related issues. In April 2008, the Survey of English Housing (SEH) merged with the English House Condition Survey (EHCS) to form the new English Housing Survey (EHS).
The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing: a study of people aged 50 and over and their partners, living in private households in England. Data are collected every two years since 2002 and cover a full range of topics necessary to understand the economic, social, psychological and health elements of the ageing process.
Glossary
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Ageing
The term ageing covers both the ageing of the population and the increasing number of people reaching older age. Population ageing is a result of the demographic transition that has been occurring in most western societies since the late 18th century. Over the past 150 years, there have been falls in both the birth and death rates. These have resulted in changes in the size of the cohorts that are becoming older and changes in the chances of survival into later life. Decreases in mortality during the 20th century, combined with declines in fertility rates, have resulted in the increasingly aged populations of today.
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Cohort
A group of people who are observed over time, usually defined by date of birth or date of attaining some other status. For example, a sample of people born in 1965 would form a birth cohort.
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Cohort life expectancy
This considers how long people would live on average dependent on how mortality rates have changed, or are projected to change, throughout their lifespan. For example, cohort life expectancy at age 0 in 2006 uses the mortality rate of newborns in 2006, of one-year-olds in 2007, of two-year-olds in 2008 and so on. This means cohort life expectancy is regarded as more appropriate than period life expectancy as an indicator of how long, on average, people of a given age could expect to live. As mortality rates are projected to continue falling over the coming decades, current cohort life expectancies are longer than their period equivalents.
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Dependants
Children aged under 16 years and individuals of state pension age and over.
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Dependency ratio
The number of dependants in a population per thousand persons of working age.
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Disability-free life expectancy
The average amount of time that people can expect to live free from any limiting chronic illness or disability. The Office for National Statistics produces period measures: this means they indicate disability-free life expectancy assuming age-based mortality and disability rates remain constant. They do not indicate how long people might actually remain free of disability, as the disability rates at any given age are likely to change in future.
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Drivers of ageing
The relative contributions of the demographic components to the structural changes in the population. Estimating the relative contributions of these different factors is complex. Preliminary work done by the Office for National Statistics shows that the effect of fertility has been to dampen the ageing of the population, even though fertility has been below replacement level since 1972. This reflects population momentum resulting from high fertility of the 1960s and the relatively large number of births resulting from the echo of the 1960s baby boom in the 1990s. The effect of migration has been broadly neutral. Therefore the main driver of ageing in recent decades has been improving mortality rates.
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Economic activity
Defined as the sum of people who are in employment and unemployment, using the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition. The opposite of economic activity is economic inactivity, which refers to those people who are not in employment and are either not looking for work or are not available to start. The sum of the economically active and the economically inactive makes up the entire population. Rates of employment, unemployment, economic activity and inactivity can be presented for any population group and are the percentage of that group who have that particular labour market status.
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Economic inactivity
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) definition of inactivity refers to people who are neither in employment nor unemployed. This includes those who want a job but have not been seeking work in the last four weeks, those who want a job and are seeking work but are not available to start work, and those who do not want a job. In the LFS, economic inactivity rate is given by the number of economically inactive people as a percentage of the relevant population.
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Healthy life expectancy
The average amount of time that people can expect to live in (self-reported) good or fairly good health. The Office for National Statistics produces period measures: this means they indicate healthy life expectancy assuming age-based mortality rates and age-based rates of good/fairly good health remain constant. They do not indicate how long people might actually remain healthy, as the good/fairly good health rates at any given age are likely to change in future.
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Household
A household comprises one person or a group of people who have the accommodation as their only or main residence and (for a group): share the living accommodation, that is a living room or sitting room, or share meals together or have commonhousekeeping.
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Household reference person (HRP)
From 2001-02, the concept of household reference person was adopted on all government-sponsored surveys, in place of head of household. The household reference person is the household member who owns the accommodation; or is legally responsible for the rent; or occupies the accommodation as reward of their employment, or through some relationship to its owner who is not a member of the household. If there are joint householders, the one with the highest income is the household reference person. If their income is the same, then the eldest one is the household reference person.
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Life expectancy
The average amount of time people can expect to live. This can be time from birth, or remaining time from any particular age. Please see respective glossary entries for more details of different measures of life expectancy.
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Life table
A table showing death rates and life expectancy for each year of age (or an age group).
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Mean
A common measure of the average. The values are summed and then divided by the total number of observations.
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Median
Statistical term for the value for which half the data are above and half are below. An alternative measure of the average to the mean.
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Mortality
The number of deaths that occurred in a population in a given period.
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Mortality rate
The usual practice in the Office for National Statistics publications is to calculate age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages.
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Old age
The most commonly used definition of old age throughout the 20th century and today is the age at which a person becomes entitled to receive state pension benefits. Until recently this tended to be 60 or 65 in most European countries.
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Old age support ratio
Defined as the number of people of working age to the number of people of State Pension Age and over.
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Older people households
Households where the household reference person (see definition) is someone aged 50 and over.
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Oldest old
The term oldest old is most commonly used to define people who are aged 85 and over.
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Pensionable age population
Individuals of state pension age and above. Between 2010 and 2020, state pension age will change from 65 years for men and 60 years for women, to 65 years for both sexes. Between 2024 and 2046, state pension age will increase in three stages from 65 years to 68 years for both sexes.
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Period life expectancy
The average number of years someone would be expected to live based on the age-specific mortality rates for the period and area in which they reside. This measure makes no allowance for any later actual or projected changes in mortality. In practice, mortality rates are likely to change in the future and people may live in other areas for at least some part of their lives. Therefore, period life expectancy does not give the number of years someone could actually expect to live.
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Retired households
In the Expenditure and Food Survey, retired households are those where the household reference person is retired. The household reference person is defined as retired if 65 years of age or more and male or 60 years of age or more and female, and economically inactive.
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Retirement
There is no widely agreed definition of retirement. Generally, it refers to someone who used to be in employment and has withdrawn from the labour market but there is no agreement on whether people should only be considered to be retired if their exit from the labour market is permanent, or if they are in receipt of a pension, or other factors.
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State Pension Age (SPA)
The age at which an individual can claim their state pension, although people can choose to defer their pension. SPA is currently 65 for men and 60 for women but will gradually increase for women to 65 between 2010 and 2020.
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Support ratio
The number of persons of working age per persons of dependant age.
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Working age population
Generally defined as those aged 16 to 59 for women and 16 to 64 for men.
Contact Details
For statistical enquiries about this topic, please contact:
Mortality and Ageing Unit
Email: ageing@ons.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1329 444679
Room 2300 Office for National Statistics Segensworth Road Titchfield Fareham PO15 5RR
