How do the postWorld War baby boom generations

How do the post-World War baby boom generations compare? Ngaire Coombs Office for National Statistics, UK

The post-war baby boom generations Births, England Wales, 1914 -2016 1, 200, 000 WW 1 WW 2 1, 000 800, 000 600, 000 400, 000 200, 000 Post-WW 1 baby boom, born 1920, turned 70 in 1990 Post-WW 2 baby boom, born 1946, turned 70 in 2016 1914 1918 1922 1926 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 0

Survival to age 70 has improved And today’s 70 -year-olds also live for longer than their predecessors Survival to age 70, England Wales Life expectancy at age 70, UK 1920 20 47% of babies born in 1920 survived to age 70 in 1990 Years 15 10 5 0 Men 1946 Women 1990 67% of babies born in 1946 survived to age 70, in 2016 0 100, 000 200, 000 300, 000 400, 000 500, 000 600, 000 700, 000 800, 000 900, 0001, 000 Births Age 70 2016 Smoking among 70 year olds in Great Britain has decreased, halving from 18% to 9% between 1990/91 and 2016 Source: General Household Survey / Opinions and Lifestyle Survey

Marriage is on the increase, but so is divorce Marital status among people aged 70 -79, 1991 and 2016, England & Wales Men, 1991 Women, 1991 3 8 3 7 17 49 40 73 Single Married Widowed Divorced Single Men, 2016 9 Married Widowed Divorced Women, 2016 5 12 30 55 74 Single Married Widowed Divorced

And marriage rates are highest for divorcees Marriage rates among people aged 70 -79 by previous marital status, 2015, England & Wales 9 8 rate per 1000 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Men Single Women Widowed Divorced

Fewer women are childless at age 70 today Number of children to women aged 70, 1990 to 2016, England & Wales 50 45 40 35 0 (Childless) 30 1 %25 2 20 3 15 4 or more 10 5 0 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Employment among older people is on the rise Employment for people aged 70 -79 in Great Britain doubled from 4% to 8% between 1992 and 2017 Current financial situation, ages 70 -79, 1991 and 2016, UK And people in their 70 s are better off than previously

Home ownership has increased In Great Britain in 1990/91 only half (52%) of people in their 70 s lived in homes that were owned outright, compared to three quarters (78%) in 2016 And people in their 70 s are better educated than in the past Source: General Household Survey / Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Highest educational qualification, ages 70 -79, 1991/92 and 2015, England 1991/92 2015 10 31 18 47 71 22 A level or higher GCSE or equivalent No qualifications Source: Health Survey for England

People born in the post-WW 2 baby boom are… • more likely to have children • less likely to be widowed and more likely to be married, despite rises in the proportion divorced • more likely to be working • better educated • more financially secure and likely to own their homes outright • less likely to smoke …than those born following WW 1, at the same age