Whilst the majority of us have spent the past week gradually emerging from our festive hibernations; Independent think-tank and charity, Resolution Foundationhave been hard at work. They’ve been analysing data from the Office for National Statistics to examine the UK’s geographic gaps in ageing. And let me tell you: some of their findings are ever so interesting.
One discovery that’s particularly caught our attention is regarding the rapidly rising age of Londoners. Always marching to the beat of its own drum, London is officially the only major city in the UK where the average age of its residents is getting higher. And doesn’t that just make you feel fantastic about yourself?
Whilst other core cities (including Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow) have seen a minor dip over the past decade, with the average age going from 35 to 34.5; London‘s has risen from 33.8 to 35.8. And look, we know that doesn’t seem like a huge increase, but it resembles the ageing rapidity of the UK’s villages, rather than the cities.
So, why is London ageing faster than anywhere else?
The research suggests that there’s a couple of reasons for London’s rise in age average. One of which is, of course, the plummeting birthrate in London. It seems that more and more Londoners are opting out of parenting life and opting in to Peter Pan life, never wanting to actually grow up. The capital’s percentage of children under 5 has dropped from 7% to 6%, and the percentage of people between the ages of 50 and 64 has risen from 12% to 14%. The study also suggests that less young people are moving to London post-Brexit. And those that perhaps would have migrated to the capital are now choosing to settle in other big cities instead.
New Cominettiprincipal economist at Resolution Foundationsaid: “The coast and the countryside, which were already older, are ageing faster. In contrast, many major cities across the midlands and the north are getting younger”.
“London is the one city bucking this trend. Changing immigration flows since Brexit, combined with falling birthrates, have worked together to age the capital over the past decade.”
So, it may be time to grab the anti-wrinkle cream, Londoners – apparently we’re going to need it.
You can read Resolution Foundation’s research here.
