An ageing population: the Blackpool neighbourhoods where you're most likely to live past 100 as figures show rise in centenarians

More than 11 million people – 18.6% of the population – were aged 65 or older when the 2021 census was taken, compared with 16.4% in the previous census a decade before. This included more than half a million (527,900) people aged 90 or more.

When looking at how many people belonged to the oldest age category, Blackpool was found to have 30 centenarians – that is, someone aged 100 or more – split across 13 of its neighbourhoods.

Angele Storey, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Ageing Analysis team, said: “While living longer is something to be celebrated and our ageing population presents opportunities, it also has implications for the economy, services and society. Knowing the size and structure of the population is fundamental for decision makers and policy makers in the UK.

“The 2021 Census results will give further insight into the implications of an ageing population and the lives of older people when the more detailed multivariate data are published in 2023.”

The Centre for Ageing Better was launched in 2015. Dr Aideen Young, Senior Evidence Manager at the Centre, highlights some of the challenges facing older people.

She said: “Older people are a highly diverse group in terms of health and wealth, and within that group there are people very much in need – who are living in poverty, in poor housing and in poor health. Their precarious situation has been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. They are the people that we really need to pay attention to.

“We have the oldest housing stock in Europe so there are many people living in non-decent and inappropriate homes. These homes are simply not suitable for people who are older or who have disabilities.”

Take a look at the nine neighbourhoods in Blackpool which have the most residents aged 100 or more.