The Ageing Better Year in Numbers
As 2025 draws to a close, it is a time to reflect on what has been an eventful 12 months.
Our Chief Executive, Dr Carole Easton OBE, reflects on the work Ageing Better has done and the impact we have had in our attempts to tackle inequalities in ageing and help create a more age-friendly world.
So this is Christmas and what have we done with another year over and a new one about to begin, to paraphrase John Lennon’s memorable festive tune.
This time of year can mean a lot of things to different people but in the last remaining days of 2025, it provides an opportunity to look back and reflect on what has come to pass over the last 12 months.
Much has changed in this world, much has stayed the same. What persists every year at Ageing Better is our determination to ensure that later life should be a positive experience for more people this year than it was the year before. Change doesn’t always happen at the speed we would like but it is always our ambition to drive that progress.
Numbers play an important role in the work we do at Ageing Better. As an evidence-based organisation we go through painstaking efforts to ensure our numbers are correct.
And they are enormously helpful in conveying key messages around the need to make our workplaces, homes and communities inclusive of older people, as well as the importance of building an Age-friendly Movement so that society sees ageing in a more positive and realistic way.
Some of the numbers below indicate the stark reality of what older people are facing and show the urgent need for change. But the numbers also indicate the impact we have had as an organisation. It is a year of achievements and I hope we can do even more in 2026.
5
A small number which hides big impact. It is the number of times a member of the Ageing Better team gave oral evidence to a parliamentary evidence session in the last 12 months.
On top of this, we participated in two evidence sessions in December 2024. This is an incredible achievement when you consider that we had only given evidence ten times in the eight years before December 2024.
This is a clear demonstration of the increased political attention on our policy priorities and the recognition that our expertise receives in Parliament. We have seen influential committees of MPs and Lords back our calls, including for a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing. This parliamentary backing leads to changes in government policymaking and legislation.
267,694
The number of digital engagements that we have had across our social media channels so far this year, including all likes, shares and comments. It equates to an incredible 733 engagements a day.
We are extremely fortunate to have such an engaged and supportive community of followers and supporters and we continually take inspiration and action based on the interactions we have with our community.
211,000
The number of downloads from our age-friendly image library over the last year.
The creation of the first free library showing positive and realistic images of over 50s is one of the greatest achievements of Ageing Better. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking out images that show a more realistic and diverse depiction of ageing , all of which help to challenge stereotypes of older people.
The library has grown to contain more than 3,000 images and we hope we can continue to grow this greatly appreciated resource even more in 2026.
110 million
The number of volunteering hours by older people that have been lost due to the post-pandemic slump, as revealed by our authoritative State of Ageing 2025 report. In England alone, there are more than one million older people who have stopped volunteering regularly, causing potentially a £4 billion annual hit on the economy.
Older people in England play a vital, and often underappreciated, role in society, including through volunteering, caring and civic participation. But it is clear that there are significant barriers, including ageism and inequality, digital exclusion and cutbacks, that are severely curtailing older people’s ability to contribute. Having every local authority join the 100 localities already committed to be age-friendly would undoubtedly improve opportunities for millions more older people.
22%
Polling from our anti-ageism campaign Age Without Limits uncovered more than one in five people (22%) think it is a waste of resources to give in-job training to anyone over the age of 50, purely because they don’t think that older workers will stay in a job for long.
It is a sad reminder that ageist attitudes are stubbornly resistant and can have very serious and lasting impacts.
Our Age Without Limits campaign has helped raise awareness of age-based prejudice and has empowered many people this year to identify and challenge ageism. These are the seeds of important societal change. Look out for much more from the campaign in February.
11.6 million
The number of UK households requiring home improvements but facing barriers to having that work done. This includes 3.5 million households with a high need, enduring daily inconveniences because of improvements not carried out on their homes.
Creating a network of one-stop shops for home improvement across the country called Good Home Hubs would effectively cost the government nothing and would ensure that people from all housing tenures and with different levels of ability to pay would have access to a trusted source of home improvement information.
23%
The proportion of residents in our nation’s towns and parishes who are aged 65 and over, a higher proportion than the national average of 18%.
The fact that the growth in our ageing population is more prominent in England’s towns and parishes is one good reason why town and parish councils should take a greater role in helping deliver age-friendly practice that can make communities better for all. Our recently published Age-friendly Town and Parish Guide has been designed to help provide inspiration.
6 million
The number of homes in England that have damp and mould problems – that’s more than the number of homes that have large-screen televisions.
No one should have to live in a home that damages their health, yet it is the norm for far too many people in England in 2025. This risk is intensified for older residents who are more vulnerable to the health consequences of living in damp, cold, and hazardous homes which can worsen conditions like asthma, heart conditions, and falls in the home, and lead to life-changing or life-threatening repercussions.
We hope that the government will focus on housing quality as part of their upcoming Housing Strategy which is expected at the start of 2026.
44%
Almost half of Disabled people aged between 50 and 66 years old felt they had experienced negative treatment when applying for jobs or promotions in the past five years. This is twice as high as reported by non-Disabled people of the same age.
The UK labour market is failing Disabled older people. Among 50-64-year-olds, the employment gap rate between Disabled and non-Disabled people is more than 30 percentage points. Our Supporting Disabled Older Workers project this year highlighted how age and disability discrimination often overlap, creating deeper disadvantages for these workers and making it harder to stay in jobs or find new opportunities.
We hope for better in 2026.
We thank you for taking the time to engage with us and for anything you are doing to improve the lives of people as they age.