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Over 80s Set to Double
The number of
people aged 80 and over in the UK will more than double over the next 40
years, according to official figures. And within
five years the average age will rise above 40 for the first time as the
number of children under 16 declines. By 2040 there
will be 4.9 million people aged 80 and over, compared with 2.4 million in
2000, according to the figures compiled by the Office for National
Statistics (ONS). The
projections, produced every two years, guide government policy in areas
such as the NHS, benefits and pensions. The overall
population is expected to increase gradually from just below 60 million
two years ago to nearly 65 million by 2025. The
population is expected to peak at about 66 million by 2040 and then
gradually decline. Older
workforce A spokeswoman
for Age Concern called for an end to age discrimination to allow older
people greater choice about working in later life and in order to make the
most of what older people have to offer. "It is
essential that we make ageism a thing of the past in employment, learning,
health, social care and in the marketplace, in every area of life",
she said. EU
governments are due to meet next month in Berlin for a regional UN
conference on ageing, she continued. "This is
a critical time to seriously address the issues," she said. Immigration
figures Two thirds of
the population increase will come from people migrating to Britain. Chris Shaw,
an ONS statistician, said issues of migration had become more important
than natural change in explaining the population increase. Mr Shaw said:
"The UK population has been increasing by about 200,000 every year
for many years." change. The English
population will continue to rise steadily, while there will be a gradual
drop in Scotland, with rates in Wales and Northern Ireland peaking in the
next 30 years before then starting to fall. The workforce
will be able to draw on more people of working age in the future, with
numbers expected to rise by 6% to 39 million by 2011. A further
boost in females of working age will be provided when the planned change
in women's state pension age rises from 60 to 65 sometime between 2010 and
2020.
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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