Demographic change - the rise of the ‘oldest old’

The ONS published a focus on the elderly last week and some of the summary changes in age structure for the UK population can be found here. One of their key findings is that the number of people living beyond 85 years of age is set to grow rapidly in the years ahead. This will have important effects on the pattern of demand for different goods and services and the pressures on health and welfare services. Students might use some of these figures to tease out some of the likely consequences for the British economy going forward and also for the effects on our quality of life as we age According to the ONS,

“The fastest population increase has been in the number of those aged 85 and over, the ’oldest old‘. In 1983, there were just over 600,000 people in the UK aged 85 and over. Since then the numbers have more than doubled reaching 1.3 million in 2008. By 2033 the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to more than double again to reach 3.2 million, and to account for 5 per cent of the total population.”

Half of new born babies can expect to live to 100! This BBC video is sure to promote some discussion.

Here is the link to the ONS ageing population interactive map