Is 70 the new 65?
The Office for National Statistics has attracted a lot of coverage for its recent report which could influence the debate about pensions, working age policies and retirement.
The report, Living longer: is age 70 the new age 65?, explores “remaining life expectancy” (RLE) of 15 years as a possible alternative to fixed chronological age being seen as the start of older age.
Figures in the report suggest that men had 15 years of RLE at age 70 in 2017, 72 for women, which could rise to 75 for men and 77 of women by 2066.
It also suggests that RLE might be a better measure of health in retirement.
However, the findings are not presented as conclusive, and there are large fluctuations in reported health status at different ages. While health at any given chronological age seems to have improved over time, “we do not know whether this will continue and, if so, at what rate”.