Over-65s will make up almost 25 per cent of the population in less than 20 years time
An estimated 20.4million of us will be over the age of 65 by 2066
NEARLY a QUARTER of the UK population will be over 65 in less than 20 years, official figures revealed yesterday.
And by 2066 the number of OAPs will soar by 8.6 million to nearly 20.5 million.
The Office for National Statistics said ongoing advances in technology, healthcare and lifestyles meant people were living longer.
It added that net migration had been the “main source” of population growth over the last 20 years.
But experts said the shock ONS figures laid bare the scale of the demographic time bomb facing the country.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies on Tuesday said the NHS would account for an astonishing 38 per cent of all public service spending by 2023-2024.
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Royal London policy chief – and former Lib Dem pensions minister - Steve Webb said: “Each year we will have a winter crisis in the NHS or a social care crisis in councils but this is a long-term issue that long-term solutions.”
Sarah Coates, of the ONS’ centre for ageing, said the explosion in older Brits would put huge pressure on social care, healthcare, transport, pensions and housing. But she added: “Our longer working lives, coupled with the growing population, ought to increase the size and productive capacity of the UK’s workforce.”
The ONS said the UK population reached a new high of 66 million in mid-2017 and was expected to hit almost 73 million by 2041.
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The Sun Says
HOW will the NHS, as it stands, cope with the massive increase in old people forecast yesterday? In short, it won’t.
The Office for National Statistics figures ought to sober up anyone who believes the health service can simply soldier on, structured and funded as it has been since 1948.Within 20 years our population of 66million will be at least 73million, with a much larger percentage over 65 and far more over 85 too.
The NHS is already predicted to engulf 38 per cent of all public service spending within just five years. What will it consume within 20? We must have a new way to fund the NHS and social care, as other nations with superb health systems do.
The sooner Britain gets real the better.