The total population of the UK rose from around 38 million in 1901 to 61 million in 2007
Individual household sizes have fallen
In the early 1900s, four or five children might live under the
same roof with their parents, today it is likely to be just one or two
Many households consist of just one or people
Increased life expectancy has led to grandparents living longer, which increases the size of extended family
Population structure
The UK as a whole has
developed a top-heavy
population structure
Back in 1931, just
7% of the population
were aged 65, while
24% were under 16
Today, the figures are
16% of over 65s and
19% of under 25s
Life expectancy has
increased over time
In 1901 the
average age of
death was 50 for
men and 57 for
women
By 2007, the average age of death
was 77 for men and 82 for women
Before the 1970s
Population was still growing due to natural increase
The death rate
had been falling
since the 1800s
The total
population grew
from 38 million to
55 million
between 1901
and 1971
Death rate came to its
current low level by
mid-century
It took until the 1970s,
and the end of the
postwar baby boom, for
declining birth rate to
reach the same low level
as death rate
Since the 1970s
Total population has
increased more slowly
Growth has mostly
been due to immigration
Both death rate and
birth rate have
remained at a low and
fairly constant level
Family sizes are small
while life expectancy is
increasing
The total population grew from 55 million to
61 million between 1971 and 2007
Migration
Over time the mobility of the UK population has increased
One of the most important recent
migrations has been movement
away from manufacturing and
mining towns and towards
settlements with service-sector jobs
A general southeast drift of
the UK population has
resulted, with 26% now living
in London and the southeast
Counter-urbanisation - significant numbers of people have left towns and cities to live in surrounding rural areas
Retired people
moving to seaside
settlements
Young adults
leaving home and
relocating to
university towns
Large amounts of
international
migration took
place
Employment
Employment
structures for
many settlements
have changed
beyond
recognition in
recent decades
The decline of traditional
manufacturing as well as job losses
in farming and mine closures
Movement
away from the
Primary and
Secondary
sectors to the
Tertiary and
Quaternary
sectors
Social status and
aspirations
At the start of the 20th century, most
people in the UK were relatively poor
and would have described
themselves as 'working class'
During the 20th century,
average wages rose and
more people entered higher
education before graduating
to non-manual work
As a result of social
mobility, more and more
people have come to define
themselves as 'middle class'
Ethnicity
The ethnic mix of people living in the UK has changed significantly over time
With minority groups now accounting for 8% overal
From 1950s onwards,
large scale migration
took place from the UKs
former colonies of India,
Pakistan and
Bangladesh
Significant numbers of Australians and white
South Africans also relocated in the UK
Since the
Maastricht treaty of
1993 many
European migrants
have arrived
London is now home to 100,000 French nationals
Segregating results in some districts having noticeably different ethnic profiles
Around 60% of people living in
the London Borough of Newham
are non-white
The Grey Challange
The proportion of the UKs
population aged over 65 is growing
Ageing population
Greying of the British society
The country faces a growing burden of dependency
Dependency ratio = (Population under 16) + (Population over 65) / (Population 15-64) X 100
The dependency ratio is rising in the UK as the number of retired people increased
Currently, 60% of Britons work and pay the state pensions of the 21% who are retired
By 2030,56% of Britons will be working
to support the 27% who are retired
By 2026, when the 1960s baby boom generation reaches retirement age, this will amount to about £30 billion per year
Local authorities with an unusually high proportion of elderly people must fund greater
numbers of care homes and services which results in higher council taxes for working people
Many older people retire to coastal regions
Properties remain occupied by elderly owners for much longer as life expectancy rises
This can result in housing shortages, driving up prices for younger people
Between 1995 and 2005, average house prices in some UK seaside
towns trebled, taking them well beyond the reach of many first-time buyers
May place emotional burden on younger and middle-aged people who act as carers for older relatives