MORE than one in five people in Malvern is over the age of 70 according to new census data.

Data obtained by the Malvern Gazette shows that, in the latest census data, 21.15 per cent of people in the Malvern Hills area are aged 70 and over.

This puts it 11th in the list of places with the highest percentage of over-70s in the country.

The rest of the top 10 includes areas of the UK with around 21 or 22 per cent, with North Norfolk coming out on top with more than 25 per cent of the population over the age of 70.

The figures reflect long-term changes in the UK population, with the balance tilting gradually away from younger age groups and towards the elderly.

Some 18.6 per cent of the population of England and Wales were aged 65 and over on census day 2021, up from 16.4 per cent in 2011.

Just 23.1 per cent were aged under 20, down from 24 per cent.

Over-65s accounted for 23 per cent of the population of North Norfolk in 1981 and had reached 28.8 per cent by 2011, before hitting 33.4 per cent in the latest census.

All the top 10 areas with the highest proportion of over-65s in 2021 were on the coast.

By contrast, nine of the 10 areas with the lowest proportion of over-65s were in London, with Tower Hamlets ranking last on 5.6 per cent.

For the country as a whole, the population of England and Wales rose by 3.5 million to 59.6 million in the last decade.

The 6.3 per cent increase signals a slowdown in population growth over the last 10 years, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).