Overview
- The ONS estimates 625,240 people aged 90 or over and about 16,650 centenarians in 2024, both all‑time highs.
- Men now account for 33.7% of those 90+ (up from 24.0% in 2004) and 18.4% of centenarians (up from 10.9%), reflecting faster gains in male life expectancy.
- ONS officials cite decades of falling mortality, better living standards and medical advances as key drivers, with a 2020–21 centenarian jump linked to births after World War I.
- Centenarian rates vary by nation: Wales leads with 25.9 per 100,000 people, followed by England (24.7), Scotland (18.4) and Northern Ireland (15.3).
- Finance experts flag rising fiscal pressures, with the IFS projecting roughly £80bn more annual state pension spending by the 2070s and a 4.8% rise next April expected under the triple lock.