A senior moment

Last year saw a surge in the number of centenarians

THE number of people aged 100 and over shot to a record high last year - the result of a baby boom driven by amorous couples reunited after WW1. There were 15,120 centenarians in the UK last year, Office for National Statistics estimates show, an 18% rise from 2019 and the highest recorded number for a single year in history.

This was largely driven by a 52% increase in the number of 100-yearolds - 7,590 were eligible for a birthday message from the Queen in 2020, up from 4,980 in 2019.

The huge increase in the number of those hitting a century was in turn due to a spike in births after the First World War.

There were 1.1 million births in the year to mid-1920 - the first full 12-month period after the fighting stopped.

That was 45% more than during the previous year, when 745,766 were recorded.

Improved living standards and health care will also have increased the odds of people born in the wake of the Great War reaching such a ripe old age.

Caroline Abrahams, director of the charity Age UK, said: "The fact the numbers of centenarians have risen because of the baby boom following the First World War - a history topic for children today - is a great reminder of just how long these people's lives have been.

“There is so much for us to learn from listening to them recount everything they have seen and done over all these years.

"It's a cause for celebration too, but we mustn't forget the need to put the right services and support in place in response to our ageing population.

“We all need the assurance of knowing that if we do require more help, because of health problems or disabilities, it will be there for us.”

Of the UK nations, Wales had the highest rate of centenarians, at 25 per 100,000.

That was followed by England, at 23 per 100,000, while the figure stood at 18 per 100,000 for both Northern Ireland and Scotland.

More than four in five (82%) of the UK'S 100-plus population were female, reflecting the fact that women live longer on average.

There were also twice as many women aged 90 years and over than men of the same age group in 2020 - at 412,290 and 197,220 respectively.

But the gap has gradually narrowed in recent years - there were more than three women aged at least 90 for every man of the same age in 2002.

This was down to factors such as a greater reduction in the proportion of men smoking relative to women, and improved working conditions as heavy industry has declined, said the ONS.

Overall, the growth rate of the 90-plus population slowed last year, rising by 0.7% to 609,503 - compared to a 3.6% increase a year earlier.

Angele Storey, from the Centre for Ageing and Demography at the ONS, said this was likely to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.