The statistic illustrates findings of a survey among the residents aged 46-55 regarding the use of social media in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020. During the survey period, it was found that 79 percent of respondents that go online were Facebook users.

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.

Estimates of adults aged 50 to 70 years in Great Britain with breakdowns by different population groups. Analysis based on the Over 50s Lifestyle Study.

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. Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Ageing in the UK Datasets

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.

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 prevalence of diagnosed coronary heart disease (CHD) among those older than 55 years of age in England in 2018/19, by gender and age. CHD is more prevalent in men across all age groups. **** percent of men aged 70 to 74 years had been diagnosed with CHD compared to *** percent of women in the same age group.

There is an urgent need to make the health of over-50s more visible in order to better support later-life working. Of people aged 50-64, 44% have a long-term health condition and 21% of older workers who leave employment ‘early’ (i.e. before SPA) cite health problems as the primary reason for leaving. Leaving employment under these circumstances then has subsequent negative consequences for lower quality of life and well-being well beyond retirement age.

The SHAW (Supporting Healthy Ageing at Work) project was a 3-year multi-stage project which aimed to better understand the reciprocal nature of health and work among over-50s in three different case settings.

This data set comprises the 82 transcripts from the qualitative lifecourse interviews which are available via the Edinburgh DataShare repository.

Working with employers, employees, professional bodies and other key stakeholders this project will co-design innovative workplace interventions to support the health and well-being of older workers (aged 50+), enabling them to stay in paid work for longer and increasing their overall well-being.

Context: There is an urgent need to make the health of older workers more visible. One in three workers in the UK are aged 50+, and this figure is set to rise in coming decades. 44% of people aged 50-64 have a long- term health condition, and 21% of older workers who leave the labour market 'early' (before State Pension Age) cite health problems as the primary reason for leaving. New research is urgently needed to identify the most appropriate actions employers can take to prevent health conditions from developing in their older workforce, and to support older employees who have existing health problems. It is important to fill these gaps in our understanding because, with the right workplace supports in place, older people are more likely to be able to extend their working lives even if they experience long-term health issues. This urgency has been heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic as both older workers and their employers reassess health needs and risks associated with older age, and consider alternative forms of working.

We know that the nature and quality of people's work influences their health and that, conversely, people's state of health influences their ability to work. What is less well-understood is how the relationship between work and health changes over time as people grow older. The experiences and needs of older workers have tended to be overlooked in previous research about work and health. When older workers have been considered, not enough attention has been paid to inequalities between different groups. We know little about how older workers' health and well-being is influenced by factors such as gender, ethnicity, social class, occupation, type of employment, and unpaid caring roles. Moreover, some aspects of health and wellbeing that particularly affect older workers, such as menopause, dementia, and financial stability, are especially hidden.

Aim and objectives: Building upon existing research, this project will work with employers, older workers (including self-employed) and a range of stakeholders to deepen understanding of the ways in which physical, mental and financial well-being interact with workplace culture and supports to constrain or enable opportunities for productive later-life employment. These findings will be used to co-design a suite of innovative products and data-driven interventions to improve the health, well-being and financial stability of older workers. Our co-designed outputs will provide businesses and social enterprises with fit-for-purpose and scalable products, services and business models, which support people as they age.

Potential application and benefits: The potential impact will be significant - encouraging increased industry investment in healthy ageing at work so that people can remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible, thereby contributing to the Healthy Ageing Challenge mission of ensuring that 'people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035', whilst also supporting the UK policy goal of extending working life beyond traditional retirement ages. Better support for older workers will allow employers to retain experienced staff and avoid the costs of replacing them. The translation and adoption of interventions within the workplace will help to increase productivity, build resilience and sustainability within the ageing workforce, and create new market opportunities to promote economic growth.

This statistic displays the prevalence of limiting long-standing illnesses among those older than 55 years of age in England in 2018/19, by gender and age. In this period, chronic illnesses were more prevalent in women in almost all groups compared to men.

United Kingdom UK: Population: Female: Ages 50-54: % of Female Population data was reported at 7.091 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.083 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Population: Female: Ages 50-54: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 6.065 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.091 % in 2017 and a record low of 5.218 % in 1987. United Kingdom UK: Population: Female: Ages 50-54: % of Female Population 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 between the ages 50 to 54 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

English Longitudinal Study of Ageing: Waves 8-10, 2016-2023, Primary Data: Special Licence Access
The datasets contain all the variables in the End User Licence (EUL) primary datasets (SN 5050) as well as year and month of birth, detailed ethnicity, country of birth, marital status, and more detailed medical history variables. These data are only available from Wave 8 onwards, and have more restrictive access conditions than those available under the standard EUL (see 'Access' section). Before considering applying for the Special Licence data, users should consult the EUL datasets first to check whether they are sufficient for their needs.

Latest edition information

For the fifth edition (September 2024), the Wave 9 core data file was replaced (some variables have been added and other data amended), and Wave 10 data and documentation were added to the study. The Wave 10 datasets include the same variables as the previous releases, but the drug coding variables have now moved from the ELSA Health Visit to the main interview, Therefore, the Wave 10 data now contains variables previously made available in the Nurse data. Please note that the ELSA Health Visit interview takes place every four years, so there is no Nurse data for Wave 10.

Please note that the ELSA team is currently looking to produce Special Licence data for the earlier Waves 1-7.

New Deal 50+ aims to help people aged 50 and over who are looking for or considering a return to work and are in receipt of IB, JSA or Income Support. At this six-month threshold, participation in the programme is mandatory. The tabulation tool provides enables users to develop bespoke tabulations providing breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity, disability, type of claim, starts to New Deal, participants, leavers etc. Tabulation Tool was decommissioned in 2017 and replaced by Stat-Xplore. New Deal data was not migrated. Source: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Publisher: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Geographies: Local Authority District (LAD), County/Unitary Authority, Government Office Region (GOR), National, Parliamentary Constituency Geographic coverage: Great Britain Time coverage: 2009 Type of data: Administrative data

First, second, third dose and booster COVID-19 vaccination rates among people aged 50 years and older who live in England, including estimates by socio-demographic characteristic.

The report looks into the various drivers of social exclusion amongst older people (although many of these indicators are equally relevant amongst all age groups) and attempts to identify areas in London where susceptibility is particularly high. Six key drivers have been included with various indicators used in an attempt to measure these. The majority of these indicators are at Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) level in an effort to identify areas at as small a geography as possible. Key Driver Indicator Description Economic Situation Income deprivation Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Score from the 2015 Indices of Deprivation Transport Accessibility Public Transport Average Public Transport Accessibility Score Car access Percentage aged 65 and over with no cars or vans in household Household Ties One person households Percentage aged 65+ living alone Providing unpaid care Percentage aged 65+ providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week Neighbourhood Ties Proficiency in English Percent aged 65+ who cannot speak English well Churn Rate Churn Rate: (inflow+outflow) per 100 population Health Mental health Estimated prevalence of dementia amongst population aged 65 and over (%) General health Percentage aged 65+ with a limiting long-term health problem or disability Safety Fear of crime Percentage in borough worried about anti-social behaviour in area Percentage in borough who feel unsafe walking alone after dark Crime rates Total offences per 100 population

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) is a longitudinal survey of ageing and quality of life among older people that explores the dynamic relationships between health and functioning, social networks and participation, and economic position as people plan for, move into and progress beyond retirement. The main objectives of ELSA are to:

• construct waves of accessible and well-documented panel data;
• provide these data in a convenient and timely fashion to the scientific and policy research community;
• describe health trajectories, disability and healthy life expectancy in a representative sample of the English population aged 50 and over;
• examine the relationship between economic position and health;
• investigate the determinants of economic position in older age;
• describe the timing of retirement and post-retirement labour market activity; and
• understand the relationships between social support, household structure and the transfer of assets.

Further information may be found on the "https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/"> ELSA project website, the or Natcen Social Research: ELSA web pages.

Wave 11 data has been deposited - May 2025

For the 45th edition (May 2025) ELSA Wave 11 core and pension grid data and documentation were deposited. Users should note this dataset version does not contain the survey weights. A version with the survey weights along with IFS and financial derived datasets will be deposited in due course. In the meantime, more information about the data collection or the data collected during this wave of ELSA can be found in the Wave 11 Technical Report or the User Guide.

Wave 10 Accelerometry data has been deposited - August 2025

For the 46th edition (August 2025) ELSA Wave 10 Accelerometry data and documentation, along with a new version of the Wave 10 Technical Report, have been deposited. Between June 2021 and October 2022, approximately 75% of ELSA households (including core members and partners) were randomly selected and invited to wear an Axivity AX3 tri-axial accelerometer for eight days and nights. Accelerometer has been used to objectively measure movement behaviours for the first time in ELSA. Four datasets including data collected by accelerometers were deposited. Datasets include: output from the Biobank accelerometer analysis (bbaa), and 24 hour movement behaviours; the step count data; overnight sleep and sleep stage data.

Wave 10 HCAP2 End of Life data has been deposited - September 2025:

For the 47th edition (September 2025), the HCAP2 (Wave 10) End of Life interview data and questionnaire documentation were deposited. The End of Life interview completes the information collected at previous waves of ELSA by interviewing a close friend or relative of the deceased ELSA sample member after their death. Previous End of Life interviews were carried out alongside Waves 2, 3, 4, and 6 of ELSA. The fieldwork for HCAP2 (Wave 10) End of Life took place between 2022-2024. For more information please refer to the questionnaire documentation. The End of Life User Guide will be updated at a later date.

Health conditions research with ELSA - June 2021

The ELSA Data team have found some issues with historical data measuring health conditions. If you are intending to do any analysis looking at the following health conditions, then please read the ELSA User Guide or if you still have questions contact elsadata@natcen.ac.uk for advice on how you should approach your analysis. The affected conditions are: eye conditions (glaucoma; diabetic eye disease; macular degeneration; cataract), CVD conditions (high blood pressure; angina; heart attack; Congestive Heart Failure; heart murmur; abnormal heart rhythm; diabetes; stroke; high cholesterol; other heart trouble) and chronic health conditions (chronic lung disease; asthma; arthritis; osteoporosis; cancer; Parkinson's Disease; emotional, nervous or psychiatric problems; Alzheimer's Disease; dementia; malignant blood disorder; multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease).

For information on obtaining data from ELSA that are not held at the UKDS, see the ELSA Genetic data access and Accessing ELSA data webpages.

Harmonized dataset:

Users of the Harmonized dataset who prefer to use the Stata version will need access to Stata MP software, as the version G3 file contains 11,779 variables (the limit for the standard Stata 'Intercooled' version is 2,047).

ELSA COVID-19 study:
A separate ad-hoc study conducted with ELSA respondents, measuring the socio-economic effects/psychological impact of the lockdown on the aged 50+ population of England, is also available under SN 8688, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing COVID-19 Study.