Over 3m people aged over 50 live with a serious illness in the UK, according to a report from UK-based Engage Mutual.
The report forecasts that this figure could increase to 3.4m by 2025 in England and 4m in the UK, as those in the ‘baby-boomer’ generation hit their seventies.
The over-50s life cover provider worked with The International Longevity Centre -UK (ILC-UK), a UK think tank on longevity and demographic change, to produce the ‘Serious Illness in the Over 50s’ report.
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The ‘Serious Illness in the Over 50s’ report also reveals different trends in serious illness over the last decade. Cardiovascular events, such as heart attack or stroke, show a general downward trend since 2002, which may be due to greater awareness of risk factors that have led to lifestyle changes, as well advances in medicines and preventative care, according to the report.
However, the report said the overall number of people living with cancer has increased in the same timeframe, and the same is true for Alzheimer’s disease.
If the current trend continues, ILC-UK predicts the number of over 50s in England with a serious illness could rise from 13.9 % to 14.8% in 2025.
David Sinclair, ILC-UK director, said: "This is a fascinating study around the numbers of those living with serious illness and if anything we have been very conservative with the numbers affected because of gaps in data. We must recognise that serious illness will continue to affect ever growing numbers of older people in the future."
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