Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland to have more pensioners than children within decade

The number of pensioners in the north is continuing to grow, according to new figures. Picture by John Stillwell, Press Association
The number of pensioners in the north is continuing to grow, according to new figures. Picture by John Stillwell, Press Association The number of pensioners in the north is continuing to grow, according to new figures. Picture by John Stillwell, Press Association

MORE pensioners than children will be living in Northern Ireland within the next decade, according to new figures.

By mid-2028, the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to rise to 385,500, compared to 375,700 children.

The figures published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show that an increasingly ageing population will become a long-term trend.

Those aged 65 and over are projected to increase by 56.2 per cent by mid-2043. The number of people aged 85 and over is also expected to more than double over the same period.

Centenarians are also predicted to increase. Mid-2043 is expected to see more than 750 people aged 100 or over, compared to 300 last year.

The new figures show that the north's overall population will continue to grow over the next few decades.

By mid-2043, the north's population is projected to be 1.99 million - an annual growth of 0.2 per cent.

Over the next few decades, around 107,600 more people will be living in the north due to births outstripping deaths.

Between mid-2018 and mid-2043, 68,900 more births are projected than deaths.

Northern Ireland's population growth of 5.7 per cent will be the second largest in the UK, behind England on 10.3 per cent and Scotland on 2.5 per cent. Wales's population is projected to decrease by 0.9 per cent.

However, the population of the north is not growing as fast as previously predicted.

The latest projections are lower by around 20,300 people than those reported in 2016.