Indicators included have been derived from the published 2019 mid-year population estimates for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These are the number of persons and percentage of the population aged 65 years and over, 85 years and over, 0 to 15 years, 16 to 64 years, 16 years to State Pension age, State Pension age and over, median age and the Old Age Dependency Ratio (the number of people of State Pension age per 1000 of those aged 16 years to below State Pension age).

This dataset has been produced by the Ageing Analysis Team for inclusion in a subnational ageing tool, which was published in July 2020. The tool enables users to compare latest and projected measures of ageing for up to four different areas through selection on a map or from a drop-down menu.

Projected indicators included are derived from the published 2018-based subnational population projections for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland up to the year 2043. The indicators are the projected percentage of the population aged 65 years and over, 85 years and over, 0 to 15 years, 16 to 64 years, 16 years to State Pension age, State Pension age and over, median age and the Old Age Dependency Ratio (the number of people of State Pension age per 1000 of those aged 16 years to below State Pension age).

This dataset has been produced by the Ageing Analysis Team for inclusion in the subnational ageing tool, which was published on July 20, 2020 (see link in Related datasets). The tool is interactive, and users can compare latest and projected measures of ageing for up to four different areas through selection on a map or from a drop-down menu.

Note on data sources: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland independently publish subnational population projections and the data available here are a compilation of these datasets. The ONS publish national level data for the UK, England, Wales and England & Wales, which has been included. National level data for Scotland and Northern Ireland have been taken from their subnational population projections datasets.

This graph shows the resident population projection of elderly people in the United Kingdom from 2020 to 2050, by age group. There is expected to be an overall growth in the number of elderly people. It is expected that all age groups over the age of 60 are expected to increase in number; most substantially, those aged over 80 years.

This statistic shows the distribution of elderly population (aged 65 and over) as a share of population in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1976 to 2046. Over this 70 year period the share of elderly people within the population of the UK is expected to increase by over ** percent, reaching **** percent of the forecast total population of 2046.

In 2024, there were estimated to be 976,481 people who were aged 33 in the United Kingdom, the most of any age in this year. The two largest age groups during this year were 30-34, and 35-39, at 4.8 million and 4.78 million people respectively. There is also a noticeable spike of 673,831 people who were aged 77, which is due to the high number of births that followed the end of the Second World War. Over one million born in 1964 In post-war Britain, there have only been two years when the number of live births was over one million, in 1947 and in 1964. The number of births recorded in the years between these two years was consistently high as well, with 1955 having the fewest births in this period at 789,000. This meant that until relatively recently, Baby Boomers were the largest generational cohort in the UK. As of 2024, there were approximately 13.4 million Baby Boomers, compared with 14 million in Generation X, 15 million Millennials, and 13.6 million members of Gen Z. The youngest generation in the UK, Generation Alpha, numbered approximately 9.2 million in the same year. Median age to hit 44.5 years by 2050 The population of the United Kingdom is aging at a substantial rate, with the median age of the population expected to reach 44.5 years by 2050. By comparison, in 1950 the average age in the United Kingdom stood at 34.9 years. This phenomenon is not unique to the United Kingdom, with median age of people worldwide increasing from 23.6 years in 1950 to a forecasted 41.9 years by 2100. As of 2024, the region with the oldest median age in the UK was South West England, at 43.7 years, compared with 35.7 in London, the region with the youngest median age.

In 2024, approximately 63.3 percent of the UK population was aged between 15 and 64, with 19.5 percent aged 65 or over and 17.2 percent aged 14 or under.

There were almost 4.8 million people aged between 30 and 34 in the United Kingdom in 2024, making it the most populous age group in that year. Those aged between 35 and 39 years comprised the next most numerous age group in this year, at over 4.78 million people. Millennials overtake Boomers as biggest generation Post-war demographic trends, particularly the 'baby boom' phenomenon, have significantly influenced the current age distribution in the UK. The postwar peak of live births in 1947 resulted in the dominance of the Baby Boomer generation for several decades, until 2020 when Millennials became the largest generational cohort, surpassing the Boomers for the first time. The following year, the UK Boomer population was then overtaken by Generation X, the generation born between Boomers and Millennials. Generation Z, remained smaller than the three generations that preceded it until 2024 when there were more Gen Zers than Boomers. Aging UK population poses challenges The median age of the UK population is projected to reach 44.5 years by 2050, compared to 34.9 years in 1950. This aging trend is indicative of broader global demographic shifts, with the median age of people worldwide forecasted to increase from 23.6 years in 1950 to 41.9 years by 2100. How countries like the UK manage their aging populations will be one of the key challenges of the next few decades. It is likely the UK's struggling National Health Service (NHS) will come under even more pressure in the coming years. There are also tough economic questions, in particular as more people enter retirement age and the UK's working population gets smaller in relation to it.

Reports describing the characteristics of the older population in England and Wales Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Characteristics of Older People

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. Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: Experimental Official Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Population Estimates of the very elderly (experimental)

Annual mid-year population estimates of those aged 90 years and over by sex, broken down by single year of age (90 to 104 years) and the 105 years and over age group.

United Kingdom UK: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Old data was reported at 29.037 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 28.659 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Old data is updated yearly, averaging 23.904 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.037 % in 2017 and a record low of 18.068 % in 1960. United Kingdom UK: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Old data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

This statistic shows the elderly population (ages 65 and over) as a percentage of the total population in the United Kingdom (UK) as forecasted from 2013 to 2060. The elderly share of the population is projected to increase over the 47 year period by *** percentage points.

United Kingdom UK: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population data was reported at 56.810 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 56.175 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population data is updated yearly, averaging 54.363 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.489 % in 1973 and a record low of 51.330 % in 2007. United Kingdom UK: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: this indicator implies the dependency burden that the working-age population bears in relation to children and the elderly. Many times single or widowed women who are the sole caregiver of a household have a high dependency ratio.

Population estimates relate to the population as of 30th June each year, and therefore are often referred to as mid-year estimates. Estimates of the population aged 85 and over in Northern Ireland provide a further age breakdown of those aged 90 and over, by single year of age up to 104 years, and collectively for those aged 105 and over. These statistics contribute to the production of population projections and life expectancy statistics for Northern Ireland, all of which are of policy interest because of the implications for pensions and the delivery of front line services for the older population such as housing, transport and health care.

Indicators included are economic activity and employment rates for those aged 50-64 years, by country, region and local authority. Both economic activity and employment rates are displayed as percentages. These have been calculated from the ONS Annual Population Survey and have been extracted from NOMIS.

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

This dataset has been produced by the Ageing Analysis Team for inclusion in a subnational ageing tool, which will be published in July 2020. The tool will be interactive, and users will be able to compare latest and projected measures of ageing for up to four different areas through selection on a map or from a drop-down menu.

Note on update frequency: NOMIS provide quarterly updates on both indicators. For consistency with other indicators presented in the subnational ageing tool, these will be updated on an annual basis.

This statistic displays the population of the United Kingdom, by age group, in 2015, with forecasts for 2025 and 2035. In 2015, the largest age cohort were those aged between 15 and 34, at over **** million people. By 2035, the number of people aged 15-34 is forecasted to increase to approximately ** million, while there are also anticipated to be around ** million people aged over 65 in this year.

United Kingdom UK: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 19.866 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 19.721 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 17.961 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.866 % in 2017 and a record low of 13.977 % in 1960. United Kingdom UK: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

In 2018, there were estimated be over *** thousand people aged 90 and over in the United Kingdom, an increase of approximately *** thousand people when compared with 2002.

Figures presented show the movement of older people between local authorities and regions. Both indicators included in this dataset have been derived from the published 2019 internal migration dataset for England and Wales. The numbers presented are the net number of people aged 65 years and over and 85 years and over entering/ leaving the local authority or region in the 12-month period stated.

This dataset has been produced by the Ageing Analysis Team for inclusion in a subnational ageing tool, which was published in July 2020. The tool is interactive, and users are able to compare latest and projected measures of ageing for up to four different areas through selection on a map or from a drop-down menu.