Population aged 65 years or older in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Population aged 65 years or older was 13,591 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Population aged 65 years or older in United Kingdom, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, population aged 65 years or older in United Kingdom stood at 13,591 thousands. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in United Kingdom peaked at 13,591 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7,224 thousands, in 1970.
United Kingdom ranks 11th of 230 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7,794 thousands | 7,224 thousands | 8,303 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 8,595 thousands | 8,401 thousands | 9,012 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 9,253 thousands | 9,072 thousands | 9,353 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,629 thousands | 9,363 thousands | 10,022 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 11,310 thousands | 10,205 thousands | 12,286 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,973 thousands | 12,489 thousands | 13,591 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More population data for United Kingdom
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.184 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 3.21 million (2100)
- Population density 307.14 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.184 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.55 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 515,677 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.55 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.55 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.0505 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.56 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in United Kingdom?
- Population aged 65 years or older in United Kingdom was 13,591 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13,591 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,224 thousands in 1970.
- How does United Kingdom rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- United Kingdom ranks 11th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release