Through the latter half of the 20th Century, the UK population has been steadily getting older and this trend is projected to continue in the future. It is supported by a complementary slide pack that provides additional evidence on the themes covered. It aims to give a resource for policy-makers, commentators, think-tanks, academics, charities and the public to use when considering how the UK should adapt to the opportunities and challenges that our changing population brings. This report sets out some of the data and analyses relevant to these three policy domains.
The ageing population and changing structure of the population will bring both opportunities and challenges for the economy, services and society at national and local levels. Along with this, there has been a decrease in fertility, people are having fewer children and are having children later in life. Firstly, improvements in life expectancy mean that people are living longer and reaching older ages. The changing and ageing structure of our population is driven primarily by two factors. Our latest projections show that in 50 years’ time, there are likely to be an additional 8.6 million people aged 65 years and over (Figure 1) – a population roughly the size of London. Statistics and projections produced by Office for National Statistics (ONS) have long shown that the UK’s population is ageing.
