PEOPLE in Hampshire are living longer than ever before, the latest census shows.
Statistics released by the Office for National Statistics show the number of people aged 65 and over has increased by a fifth in the past 10 years.
It now stands at 18 per cent of the county’s population of 1.76m people.
The 2011 census also shows that 34,000 of Hampshire’s residents are aged over 85 – an increase of more than a third over a decade.
Almost one quarter of Hampshire’s households are occupied by pensioners – and more than half of these people are living alone.
Councillor Ken Thornber, leader of Hampshire County Council, said: ‘The census offers a fascinating window into how the population is changing, and there are implications for all of the services the county council provides.
‘For example, in adult social care we’re making unprecedented investment in prevention and early intervention to build community capacity, alongside the development of older people’s specialist housing.’
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