Responding to latest ONS census data released today, David Sinclair, Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC), the UK’s leading organisation on longevity, argues:

“If they needed one, the data analysis from the ONS Census 2021 should be a wake-up call to the UK Government.

Since 1997, we have been banging on about the UK’s rapidly ageing population and how we can make longevity work better for society.

The fact that 18.6% of the population (over 11 million people) were aged 65 years or older, compared with 16.4% in 2011 is no big surprise. What is shocking is that we are not doing more about it.

We have a bank of work that shows if you keep people healthier for longer, they work more, they volunteer more, they care more and they spend more money. Rather than feeling so overwhelmed by the challenges we simply ignore, we need to tap into this longevity dividend. Data can present solutions – now we just need to act.”

For all the big challenges which come with an ageing population, we are reliant on data to help us to tell the story. Over the last 25 years, our work has relied on the historical consistency that census data provides which enables us to plan better for the long term.

The census gives really detailed local data, which is extraordinarily important. Analysis using census data showed between 1991 and 2011 disability-free life expectancy improved in England and Wales. However, there remained a significant gap between the ‘healthiest’ and ‘unhealthiest’ areas. In 2011, disability-free life expectancy at age 50 varied from a low of 13.8 years in the ‘unhealthiest’ local authority to a high of 25.0 years in the ‘healthiest’ local authority; a gap of 11.3 years.

But these significant health and employment outcomes gaps can be turned around. Our recent work with UCL showed that if the current levelling up health targets had been achieved between 2001 and 2011, this would have increased older people’s participation in the labour market by 3.7%, equivalent to 250,000 older people.

Contact

Contact press@ilcuk.org.uk or +44 (0) 208 638 0832 for press queries. Spokespeople are available for interview.

Notes

Census 2021 data has been published today by the ONS alongside an article compiled in partnership with Age UK, the Centre for Ageing Better and the International Longevity Centre UK. Voices of our ageing population – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

ILC’s full Health and place – How levelling up health can keep older workers working report can be seen here. The Health of Older People in Places (HOPE project) research led by University College London (UCL) in collaboration with the University of Leeds and the ILC-UK seeks to better understand how the health of older people in the place where they live, is associated with people staying in work in later life. This project is part of the Health Foundation’s Social and Economic Value of Place programme. 

ILC’s Delivering Prevention in an Ageing world programme seeks to encourage governments across the world to invest in preventative health and tackle inequalities in access to health: Delivering prevention in an ageing world – ILCUK

ILC’s Work for tomorrow programme, supported by the Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources (IRC4HR), identified the challenges and innovations that respond to an ageing workforce through a global innovations competition: https://ilcuk.org.uk/work-for-tomorrow/

Over 900,000 people live with dementia in the UK likely to rise to over 1.6 million by 2040. ILC’s Retail Therapy report published just last week shows that if shops, banks and leisure activities were more welcoming to people living with dementia and other cognitive impairments, the economy could be boosted by £948 million a year via spending by this group. Retail therapy – Dementia and spending – ILCUK