Britain becomes a nation of pensioners [View All]

[Albus]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/britain-becomes-a-nation-of-pensioners-1059449.html

The United Kingdom is officially a grey nation. The number of pensioners exceeds the number of children under 16 for the first time, figures published yesterday show. The milestone, reached last year and revealed now by the Office for National Statistics, is both a cause for celebration and for consternation.

The ageing of the population is a tribute to the success of the modern world in raising living standards, improving healthcare and extending life expectancy. A boy born in 2005-07 can expect to live for 77.2 years, six more than one born in 1980-82, and a girl can expect to live for 81.5 years, four longer than in 1980-82.

But when allowance is made for further expected improvements in mortality during their lifetime, even these advanced ages understate the real length of likely survival. On this basis, the average projected life expectancy (known as the cohort life expectancy) for babies born in 2006 was 88.1 for boys and a breathtaking 91.5 for girls.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the rapid growth in the very old will place an increasing burden on the young, who must support and care for them. In the 25 years since 1982, the number of over-85s has more than doubled to 1.3 million and will more than double again to 3.1 million in the next 25 years.