Population aged 65 years and over in the UK - Data and Analysis (2000-2033)

The number of people aged 65 years and over is estimated to have grown at a compound annual rate of 1.8% over the five years through 2026, reaching 13.7 million. This growth continues to be driven by longer life expectancies, improved nutrition, living conditions, and advances in health care. Reductions in smoking rates and the ongoing effects of the smoking ban in public places have contributed to fewer smoking-related deaths, further extending average lifespans. The ageing of the post-war Baby Boomer generation, born from the mid-1940s through the late 1950s, has also continued to swell the ranks of this age group as more of that cohort crosses the 65-year threshold. The lingering demographic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected older populations, have largely faded from growth calculations, allowing the age group's expansion to normalise and strengthen over the period.