Population, Midyear 2022: 67,508,936
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 278.11
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 82.16
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 69,175,770
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 19.17%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 22.02%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 26.15%
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.
Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 80.4 years
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 18.8%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 25.1%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 5.1%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 9.4%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2019: 56%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as poor or very poor, by income, 2018
– Lowest quintile: 13%
– Highest quintile: 6%
– Total: 12%
Limitations in daily activities in adults aged 65 and over, 2018
– Severe limitations: 21%
– Some limitations: 24%
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2021: 12.7
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2040: 16.2
Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.
“Of note, each country experiences different health needs, with Wales and Scotland having a higher proportion of their populations aged 65 years and over (at 21.1% and 19.3%, respectively) than England (18.6%) (ONS, 2021g).”
Source: Anderson M, Pitchforth E, Edwards N, Alderwick H, McGuire A, Mossialos E. The United Kingdom: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2022; 24(1): i–192.
“The share of people aged 65 and over is steadily growing due to the rise in life expectancy in previous decades and the ageing of the large cohort aged 55–75 years (the ‘baby-boomer’ generation). In 2016, British people at age 65 could expect to live another 20 years, similar to 65-year-olds in the EU as a whole. Just over half of these years (10.8) will be lived without disability2 (Figure 4). There are no data covering the whole of the United Kingdom, but more than 40 % of people aged 65 years and over in England report having no chronic disease. Among those who do, more than 40 % reported having one chronic disease and more than 15 % stated that they had at least two. The rate of people with at least one chronic condition is slightly higher than the EU average. Most people in England are able to continue to live independently in old age, but around one in five people aged 65 and over reported some limitations in basic activities of daily living (ADL) such as dressing and eating. In addition, 34 % of English women aged 65 and over reported having symptoms of depression, compared to 23 % of men in this age group.”
Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), United Kingdom: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.
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Page last updated August 7, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.