People of pensionable age in the UK

FOI REF: FOI-2023-1411

You asked

I would like to request: 1) The last 10 years of available information that shows the number of annual deaths in the UK prior to reaching pension age? 2) The last 10 years of available information that shows the number of new pensioners by year? 3) The total number of Pensioners annually over the last 10 years that records are available?

We said

Thank you for your request.

Annual deaths in the UK prior to reaching pension age

Please note that we are responsible for the production of mortality statistics for England and Wales only, this is driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Therefore, we do not hold the requested information for the whole of the UK. Should you wish to obtain this information for Scotland and Northern Ireland, NRS and NISRA can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.

Please see associated download 'Yearly deaths registered England and Wales 2013 to 2022'. Please note that the figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to complete a coroner's inquest, it can take months or even years for a traffic collision to be registered. For more information see our Impact of registrations delays release. Impact of registration delays on mortality statistics in England and Wales publication.

The Pension age has been applied at 66 years as it is the current state pension age.

Number of new pensioners by year and the total number of Pensioners annually over the last 10 years

We do not collect or publish data on 'pensioners'; that is, we do not publish statistics on those who are claiming a pension and/or identify as a 'pensioner'. We do, however, have information on the populations of those of state pensionable age in the UK. The age at which someone is eligible for a state pension is outlined by the Pensions Act 2014. 

The ONS published, in 2017, a dataset named 'Calculating State Pension age: Pensions Act 2014'. Using these data, and the data from our mid-year population estimates of the UK, we have produced the below tables. Please note that the most recent estimates of the UK population are for mid-2021. Therefore, the associated download pertaining to population show estimates for 2021, and the 10 years preceding that.

In the associated download 'state pension statistics' please find the following data:

• Table 1: Estimates of the number of people of State Pension age in the UK, based by year and sex, for years 2010 to 2021 (inclusive).  
• Table 2: Estimates of the number of people who reached the State Pension age in the UK within a given year, based by year and sex, for years 2010 to 2021 (inclusive). 
• Table 3: Estimates of the change (to the previous year) in number of people who reached the State Pension age in the UK within a given year, based by year and sex, for years 2010 to 2021 (inclusive). 

Should you have any queries about the population data please feel free to contact popinfo@ons.gov.uk.