Today’s older people are, on average, living longer than previous generations. Over the long term, life expectancy in the UK increased substantially during the 20th and early 21st centuries because of improvements in public health, housing, nutrition, healthcare, vaccination, and reductions in smoking.
For example, someone reaching older age today is more likely to survive conditions that would previously have been fatal, such as heart disease, stroke, and many cancers. However, gains in UK life expectancy have slowed markedly since around 2011, and progress has largely stalled compared with previous decades.
In South Tyneside our population is getting older. That matters for all of us: older residents, families, employers, services and communities. This blog looks at what the latest data tells us about ageing locally, what is working well, and where we need to keep improving so that people can age well in South Tyneside.
This blog post accompanies slides which can be found here: State of Ageing 2025
What is the State of Ageing Report?
The national State of Ageing report, published by the Centre for Ageing Better, looks at what later life is like across England. This local version asks the same question for South Tyneside. It brings together local data and insight to help us understand the strengths, challenges and opportunities for older residents.
South Tyneside’s Changing Population
The figures below tell a story about a place where more people are living into later life, where older residents are becoming more diverse, and where health, money, work, housing and social connection all shape people’s experience of ageing.
In 2024, South Tyneside had 32,539 residents aged 65 and over. That is 21.5% of the population. The number has grown from 29,073 in 2015, an increase of 11.9%. If current projections are right, this could rise to 39,850 by 2043. That would be a further 22.4% increase compared with 2024.
Growing Diversity Among Older Residents
South Tyneside’s older population is also becoming more diverse. The number of residents aged 65 and over from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups increased from 307 in 2011 to 533 in 2021. That is a 73.6% increase.
Disability and Sexual Orientation
The 2021 Census found that 11,998 South Tyneside residents aged 65 and over were disabled under the Equality Act. It also recorded 1,082 residents aged 40 to 64 who described themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another LGB+ identity.
Coastal regions
Coastal and rural places often have higher proportions of older residents. South Tyneside follows this pattern, with some coastal communities having particularly high numbers of people aged 65 and over.
East Shields and Whitburn Community Area Forum has the highest number of residents aged 65 and over, with 7,751 people. At ward level, the highest numbers are in Cleadon and East Boldon (2,443 people), Horsley Hill (2,408 people) and Harton (2,010 people).
Life Expectancy & Healthy Life Expectancy
People in South Tyneside can expect to spend fewer years in good health after the age of 65 than people across England as a whole.
Health life expectancy at 65 in South Tyneside for 2022-24 was 8.5 years for men, 1.6 years below the national average. For women, this was 8.8 years, 2.3 years below the national average.
Life Expectancy at Age 65 in South Tyneside for 2023–25 was 17.7 years for men, 1.4 years below the national average. For women, it was 20.0 years, 1.5 years below the national average.
Ageing and Health Needs
In South Tyneside, approximately three out of four people aged 65 and over estimated to have dementia were diagnosed in 2024. This was higher than the national rate of 64.8 per 100 people.
There was a rate of 720 per 100,000 when it comes to hip fractures in people aged 65+ in South Tyneside for 2022/23. This was significantly higher than the national rate of 558 per 100,000.
The percentage of people aged 65+ who were offered reablement services following discharge from a hospital was 4.4% in South Tyneside for 2021/22. This was significantly higher than the national percentage of 2.8%.
Work and Employment in Later Life
Employment rates among older residents are lower in South Tyneside than elsewhere. In 2023, only 3.3% of residents aged 65 and over were in employment. This was the lowest rate in the North East, compared with a regional average of 8.1% and a national rate of 11.1%.
For those aged 50– 64, South Tyneside (62.5%) is second lowest after Newcastle (61.3%), and lower than regional and national averages (65.8%/ 71.3%).South Tyneside also has the lowest overall employment rate in the North East region, therefore the age-related differences are relative to the wider picture.
There are many reasons why people may leave work or find it hard to return. These can include health, caring responsibilities, age discrimination, unsuitable work patterns, and a lack of the right employment support. Health inequalities and economic deprivation in South Tyneside exacerbate these issues. Some older workers also chose not to re-enter the workplace for health related or caring responsibilities.
There are economic and social impacts to this. Exclusion from the labour market increases poverty and financial insecurity, and lost workforce potential undermines regional productivity and economic growth.
Poverty and Deprivation Among Older People
Income is a major part of ageing well. In South Tyneside, just over 1 in 5 residents aged 60 and over were experiencing income deprivation in 2019. That is 21.4%, or 8,209 people. Across England, the figure was 14.2%. In 2021, 21,113 South Tyneside residents aged 65+ were living in households deprived in at least one dimension (70.4% of residents 65+).
Family Structures Are Changing
In South Tyneside 28.8% of people aged 50 and over live in a one-person household. This is higher than England as whole, where 23.6% of people aged 50 and over, live in a one-person household. In South Tyneside there has been a 47.9% increase in those aged 50 and over who are divorced between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Key Challenges
The data shows that ageing in South Tyneside brings both strengths and challenges. Many older residents contribute to family life, volunteering, community activity and local services. At the same time, some people face poorer health, lower income, social isolation or barriers to work.
For some ageing in South Tyneside can be a challenge.
- Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is below that of England’s as a whole
- Just over 1 in 5 of South Tyneside’s residents aged 60+ are experiencing income deprivation
- That family structures are changing and 28.8% of people aged 50 and over live in a one-person household.
- South Tyneside has the lowest employment rate for those aged 65+ in the North East region
- Yet despite the challenges, there are many aspects that people like, including the events and parades, beaches and open spaces, the voluntary sector support, leisure and healthcare.
Age Friendly Pledge
The Age-friendly Employer Pledge is a free national commitment for employers. It encourages workplaces to value older workers and take practical steps to improve recruitment, retention and development for people over 50.
The South Tyneside Public Health Team have supported several local organisations to engage with the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, either by signing up directly or by confirming a local commitment linked to a national sign-up. The organisations include:
- South Tyneside Council
- Port of Tyne
- Nexus
- Northern Rights
- Age Concern Tyneside South (ACTS)
- Groundworks (South and North Tyneside)
- DWP
Recommendations
Ageing well is not only about health and care services. It is also about the homes people live in, the transport they can use, the work and volunteering opportunities available, the places they can meet others, and whether they feel valued in their community.
As people living and working in South Tyneside age, there is a need to:
Recognise strengths
- Acknowledge and celebrate what is already working well.
Make the most of existing opportunities
- Build on other key strategies by:
- Using data, insight, and evidence to drive improvements where needed.
- Recognising that some older people are at greater risk and targeting support accordingly.
- Acknowledge the benefits that older people bring to the wider system – such as caring responsibilities, volunteering, contributing to civic engagement.
Embed wider determinants of health
- Ensure factors such as:
- Housing
- Transport
- Employment and volunteering
- Community belonging
Continue learning and improving
- Keep learning from:
- The Centre for Ageing Better
- The Global Age-Friendly agenda
Summary
The story of ageing in South Tyneside is not only a story about pressure on services. It is also a story about people, communities and the opportunity to build a place where later life is valued. The data shows where we need to focus our efforts, but it also shows the importance of building on what is already strong: local partnerships, community activity, age-friendly work and the voices of older residents themselves.
Examples include:
- The updating of a dedicated older persons joint strategic needs assessment
- The development of an age friendly strategy and action plan (2024-2028)
- The raising of awareness of the world health organisation (WHO) age friendly principles within key partnerships, organisations and programmes of work
- Plans to refresh the age friendly insight gathering throughout 2026/07
- The age friendly employer pledge
- Signing up to the global age friendly network
- Being recognised nationally for some of the work we have done here in South Tyneside – such as intergenerational work and walkability audits
Sources:
Healthy life expectancy – Mortality Insights – GOV.UK
Interpreting the latest life expectancy data – The Health Foundation
South Tyneside Data Observatory – Data Explorer
South-Tyneside-Employment-Skills-Report.pdf
Managing older workers: a report for Acas | Acas