AGEING IN THE NORTH

The experience of growing old in England is unequal. Older people in the North of England come up against an alarming range of disadvantages in health, housing, employment, and living standards, compared to those in the South.<br/><br/>They are more likely to be poorer, less healthy, physically inactive, lonely and live shorter lives. They have access to fewer jobs at lower rates of pay and face higher levels of unemployment. This exacerbates poverty among the older population in the North.<br/><br/>Older people in the North are more likely to exit the workforce due to poor health, contrasting with their healthier and wealthier counterparts in the South who are more likely to retire. This difference highlights significant regional disparities that affect various aspects of their lives.<br/><br/>This report examines some of the cross-cutting health and social factors that play a role in shaping how we age. The picture it paints is shocking. In almost every aspect we looked at, there are clear inequities between the North and the South.<br/><br/>Almost a third of the country’s older population live in the North. The challenges and inequities they face as they age must be recognised and prioritised by policymakers.<br/><br/>Our message is clear – this inequity is not inevitable, and it can be reversed. Economic and social factors are the main drivers of unequal ageing, more so than individual characteristics.<br/><br/>Our report offers achievable, evidence-backed policy recommendations to tackle the root causes of unequal ageing, to help break down the regional barriers and vastly improve the ageing process and the lives of older people.