The number of centenarians in England and Wales has grown by over a fifth in the last decade, coinciding with a plunge in birth rates to their lowest point in nearly half a century, according to recent official data. Last year, there were approximately 15,172 people aged 100 or older in England and Wales, an increase from 14,635 in the previous year and 12,472 in 2015.
This trend highlights an increasingly aging population, fueled by advances in medicine and living standards that allow people to live longer, while adults are having fewer children. The number of individuals aged 105 and above saw a more significant increase, rising by 34% to 709, up from 529 in the prior year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also reported an estimated 581,400 people aged 90 or over, an increase from 564,300 the year before and 500,000 in 2015.
Within the over-90 population, men constitute 34.1%, and in the over-100 group, they represent 18.8%. For every man over 100, there are 4.3 women in the same age bracket.
Concurrently, the number of births dropped to 588,000, the lowest figure recorded since 1978, representing an 8,000 decrease from the previous year. The number of deaths was close to the number of births, at 568,400.
The overall population of England and Wales grew by 224,900 (0.4%) last year, reaching a record approximately 62 million. This growth was primarily driven by migration. A total of 816,500 people immigrated from outside the UK, a decrease from 1,197,500 in the year ending mid-2024. Emigration also saw a slight increase, with 604,800 people leaving England and Wales for other countries, up from 584,900.
Net migration decreased by over 400,000 to 211,700. Despite this decrease, the narrow margin between births and deaths made migration the main contributor to population growth. However, the overall rate of population increase was the lowest recorded since 2020 due to the significant fall in net migration.
Nigel Henretty of the ONS noted that migration has been the primary driver of population change for the past 25 years. He added that the recent decline in migration has resulted in the smallest population growth since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. London experienced its first population decrease since 2021, and the population of Wales declined for the first time in a decade.