More than ten million people in the UK today can expect to live to see their 100th birthday - 17 per cent of the population. Three million are currently aged under 16, 5.5 million are aged between 16 and 50, and 1.3 million are aged between 51 and 65. Around 875,000 are already aged over 65.
Pensions Minister Steve Webb said:
These staggering figures really bring home how important it is to plan ahead for our later lives. Many millions of us will be spending around a third of our lives or more in retirement in the future.
That’s why we are reforming the pension system to make it sustainable for the long term, making sure people can look forward to a decent state pension when they retire, and helping millions save into a workplace pension, many for the first time.
In 2066, there will be at least half a million people aged 100 or over.
The 2066 centenarians will include nearly 7,700 super centenarians, those aged 110 or over.
Notes for Editors:
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These figures are based on ONS Population projections and Life Expectancy estimates.
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DWP’s Centenarian Clerk works with Buckingham Palace to ensure centenarians receive a birthday card from Her Majesty the Queen on their 100th birthday. He will be very busy in 2066!
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This analysis is published on the DWP website at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=adhoc_analysis
Charts:
Chart 1: Number of people currently alive who can expect to see their 100th birthday, by age in 2010
Number of people currently alive who can expect to see their 100th birthday, by age in 2010.
Chart 2: Projected number of centenarians in the UK
Projected number of centenarians in the UK.