Aging in the United Kingdom: A Review of Demographic Trends, Recent Policy Developments and Care Provision

Abstract

Although the UK's population is not predicted to grow very much in the future, the population structure is changing and there is a shift towards a much older age distribution. The characteristics of demographic aging in the UK include a marked reduction in fertility rates, increasing rates of life expectation at birth (ELB), increasing dependency ratios and variations in mortality and social class in old age. The UK's demographic context has important implications for aged care policy and planning. This paper documents the demographic trends, reviews recent major policy changes and their impact on care provision, and discusses some of the emerging implementation issues that challenge the potential of such policies to meet the needs of an aging population.