Number of people aged 90 and older at record high but centenarian estimates down

The number of people aged 90 and older has reached a new record high, according to estimates for England and Wales.

There were 551,758 in this “very old” category in 2023, up from 550,830 the previous year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The half a million point was reached in 2015 and the latest total is up from 350,700 when records began in 2002.

The latest estimates, published on the International Day of Older Persons, suggest there were 14,850 centenarians – people aged 100 or older – in England and Wales in 2023, which was down by 0.5% on 2022 numbers.

Among these, an estimated 560 people were aged 105 or older.

The ONS said Wales had a higher proportion of centenarians than in England, with 26 people aged 100 and over per 100,000 population compared with 24 in England.

Some 9.7% of those aged 100 and over were part of the large post-First World War birth cohort of people aged 103 in 2023, the ONS said.

As this group ages and people die, the effect on the size of the centenarian population continues to reduce, it added.

There were just over twice as many women as men aged 90 and over in 2023, while there were 4.5 women to every man aged 100 and over in England and Wales last year.

Age UK said that while more people living longer is a “real cause for celebration”, there is a need for investment in services used by the growing older population.

Caroline Abrahams, the charity’s director, said: “For example, our social care system on which many older people depend has been chronically neglected and needs a complete overhaul, and a lot more money.

“Similarly, older people are the biggest user group within the NHS but there aren’t enough dedicated, integrated programmes in place to help them stay fit and well, and living independently for as long as possible in their own homes.

“To add to the challenges, there are also huge disparities in healthy life expectancy across the country, with people from poor areas likely to be spending well over a decade longer in serious ill health towards the end of their lives, compared to their counterparts in affluent places.”

She also called for the creation of “age-friendly communities” with “good local facilities and attractive open spaces”.