Oh, it’s an accomplishment alright.
Rapid rise in babies born to migrants will ‘give Britain one of Europe’s youngest populations by 2035’
- UK had Europe’s second highest number of over-65s three decades ago
- Increased number of immigrant babies will reverse trend by 2035
A surge in babies born to immigrant parents has moved Britain from having one of Europe’s most rapidly ageing populations to one of the youngest, official figures show.
In contrast to the previously high numbers of people over 65 in the UK, an increased birth rate in the past decade has reversed the trend thanks in part to the numbers of immigrant babies.
The figures mean Britain is now predicted to go from having the second highest proportion of retired people to the fifth lowest in Europe, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Estimates show that the number of people aged 65 or over in the UK increased by 1.7m between 1985 and 2010.
In 1985 the UK was second only to Sweden for the number of people aged 65 in its population.
Britain ranks 15th out of the 27 EU countries, according to official estimates.
But by 2035, forecasts show that the percentage will have climbed at such a slow rate that Britain will have the fifth lowest number in Europe, higher than only Slovakia, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Ireland.
The Office for National Statistics has forecast that Britain will have nearly 17 million people over 65 in its population by 2035, which equates to 23 per cent of the predicted population.
By then it is predicted that Germany will have the highest percentage of retired people, with nearly one in three people being over 65.
