Demographics

Within people aged 65 and over, there is substantial variation in terms of life circumstances, personal goals, and physical and mental health (Office for National Statistics, 2022).
National data shows that the older population is increasingly diverse. There are growing numbers of older adults who are LGBTQ+, who are from a range of ethnic backgrounds and who live in different family/household structures (Centre for Ageing Better, 2023b).
Whilst age does not necessarily reflect functional ability, understanding the size of older adult populations provides some basis for commissioners to plan services which meet older people’s needs (Raffertys, 2013).

Current population

Currently there are around 160,000 older adults (aged 65+) in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, which is 17.6% of the total population. The size of this age group grew by 26% between 2011 and 2021, compared to an 11% growth in the overall population in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (PHI team, 2023).

Figure 3: Age structure of older adult population, Cambridgeshire (left) and Peterborough (right), 2021. Image source: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Insight – JSNA 2023 – Population forecasts. Note the scales are different in these population pyramids

In 2021, the vast majority (96%) of the older adult population across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were from ‘White’ ethnic backgrounds. However, in Cambridge and Peterborough, over 1 in 20 of the older adult population were from ‘Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh’ ethnic groups.

Table 1: Older adult population by ethnic group, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2021. Data source: Census 2021 – create a custom dataset – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Living arrangements can play an important part in day-to-day wellbeing and practical, social, and economic support in the home. 62% of older people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough lived in a couple in 2021, and over a third (36%) did not live as a couple.

Figure 14: Household living arrangements of older people, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2021. Data source: Census 2021 – create a custom dataset – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Amongst older people who did not live as a couple, the majority were widowed or surviving partners from civil partnerships. The proportion of older people who were widowed or surviving partners was higher than the national average in most areas across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This is important as widowhood is associated with poor mental health in older adults, particularly for those who have limited community support (Jiang et al., 2023).

Figure 15: Household living arrangements of older people not living as a couple, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2021. Data source: Census 2021 – create a custom dataset – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Geographic spread

Many people move out of cities and large towns before older age (Whitty, 2023). This is important to consider as many semi-rural areas in England currently have insufficient infrastructure to support older adults (such as transport links, housing and healthcare). Most areas within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough with higher numbers of older people are rural or semi-rural.

Figure 8: Spread of older adult population across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Census 2021. Data source: Census 2021, 0NS

There is contradictory evidence around the risk of mental ill-health in rural areas. It may be that some communities in these areas are at greater risk of poor mental health, whilst people with higher incomes may choose to retire in these areas and be at lower risk (Haighton et al., 2019). Important factors may include social exclusion, access to healthcare, financial difficulties, and lack of transport (Haighton et al., 2019). Additionally, some groups of in rural communities, including older men, older people from ethnic minority groups and LGBTQ+ people, may face specific health inequalities (Age UK, 2021).

It is predicted that almost 1 in 5 (19.6%) people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be age 65+ by 2031. Fenland, East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire will have the largest proportion of older adults in the county.

Table 2: Proportion of the population made up of older adults (aged 65+), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2021 – 2041. Image source: 2023 JSNA

Population health and disability

In 2021, most older adults (60%) in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough reported being in ‘very good’ or ‘good’ general health. whilst around 1 in 10 (11%) reported being in ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ health. There were higher proportions of adults in ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ health in Fenland and Peterborough. This may be due to a range of factors, including higher rates of deprivation in these areas.

Figure 9: Self-reported general health of older adults, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2021. Data source: Census 2021 – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Men aged 65 in Cambridgeshire can expect to live for a further 20 years, of which 11 years would be in good health. Men of the same age in Peterborough can expect to live for a further 18 years, of which 12 years would be in good health.

Figure 10: Healthy life expectancy and overall life expectancy for men at age 65, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2018 – 2020. Data source: 2023 JSNA

Women aged 65 in Cambridgeshire can expect to live a further 22 years, of which 13 years would be in good health. Women aged 65 in Peterborough can expect to live a further 21 years, which is significantly below the national average. 12 of these years are expected to be in good health.

Figure 11: Healthy life expectancy and overall life expectancy for women at age 65, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2018 – 2020. Data source: 2023 JSNA

In 2021, 15% of older adults in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough lived with a disability which had a substantial impact on their ability to carry out day-to-day activity. In Fenland and Peterborough, the proportion of older adults whose day-to-day activities was limited ‘a lot’ due to disability was higher than the national average.

Figure 12: Proportion of older adults with a disability, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2021. Data source: Census 2021 – create a custom dataset – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Unpaid carers

Unpaid carers provide significant levels of support to family or friends. However, carers often need support with their own health and wellbeing. Over 10% of older adults in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough provide unpaid care. In Fenland, the proportion of older people providing 50+ hours a week of unpaid care (5.4%) is higher than the national average (4.9%).

Figure 13: Proportion of older adult population providing unpaid care, 2021. Data source: Census 2021 – create a custom dataset – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Predicted population change

Forecasts suggest that by 2031, the number of people aged 65 or over in Cambridgeshire will grow by a further 27% to over 160,000.

Figure 4: Recorded and predicted number of older people in Cambridgeshire, 2011 – 2041. Image source: 2023 JSNA

It is predicted that the greatest growth in Cambridgeshire will be in the 80 – 84 and 85+ age bands, with an 55% increase in the number of people aged between 80 and 84, and a 45% increase in the number of people aged 85+.

Figure 5: Predicted percentage change in older adult population size in Cambridgeshire, 2021 – 2031, by age band. Image source: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Insight – JSNA 2023 – Predicted future change

In Peterborough, it is predicted there will be a 24% increase in the number of older adults from 2021 to 2031. The greatest increase will be a 44% rise in the number of people aged between 80 and 84.

Figure 6: Recorded and predicted number of older people in Peterborough, 2011 – 2041. Image source: 2023 JSNA

Additional resources

References

Full list of references is included at the end of this chapter.