The State of Ageing in 2019

'The State of Ageing 2019', a landmark report from the Centre for Ageing Better, shows that a significant proportion of the British population is at risk of suffering poverty, ill-health and hardship in later life.

A brief extract is shown below but you can read/download the full report from the link below.

We are living longer than ever before and the age profile of our society is changing rapidly.The number of people aged 65 and over will increase by more than 40% within 20 years, and the number of households where the oldest person is 85 and over is increasing faster than any other age group.

These changes have profound implications for each of us, as well as for government, business and civil society.

Projected population change (2016-36)

For many of us there is much to look forward to in later life. People in their early to mid-70s are more satisfied with life than any other age group. And most people in later life report feeling connected to their communities, families and friends.2 But huge inequalities exist. As we get older, the steady accumulation of a lifetime of advantages or disadvantages, together with differences such as in our ethnicity, in where we live, and in our income, results in vastly unequal levels of health, wealth, happiness and security in later life. And there are worrying trends for the future.

For example, earlier progress made in reducing pensioner poverty is beginning to reverse.
While the twentieth century’s advances in public health, nutrition and medical science have given us the gift of longevity, so far this century we have failed to respond with sufficiently radical action to ensure everyone enjoys these extra years.

Ageing is inevitable, but how we age is not.