The population of Northern Ireland is becoming increasingly older. Improving survival coupled with falls in the number of births, has resulted in an ageing population.
In 2012, 15% of the population were aged 65 and over, whilst 1.8% of the population were aged 85 and over. The ageing of the population has led to increased demand for more detailed population estimates of older people.
Official mid-year population estimates are produced annually by NISRA. These annual estimates give aggregate statistics for those aged 90 and over.
In June 2001 it is estimated that there were 23,500 people aged 85 and over living in Northern Ireland (17,100 females and 6,400 males). This figure had risen to 32,700 people by 30 June 2012 (22,400 females and 10,300 males).
The population increase of 9,000 persons in the 10-year period, 2002 to 2012, is the result of more people “ageing into” the age group of 85 and over than dying each year. On average 5,500 persons “age into” this age group each year. At the same time, on average there are 4,600 deaths of persons aged 85 and over each year.
In June 2012, around 10,800 persons were aged between 90 and 99 in Northern Ireland. This age group contains those babies born during World War I.
In 2007 and 2008, there was a decrease in the number of people at the lower end of this age group. This can be traced back to the low number of births during the war years.
By 2012, the number of persons aged between 90 and 99 started to increase, which reflects the increase in the number of births in Northern Ireland in 1920. The 2011 Census recorded 228 centenarians living in Northern Ireland.