The population of the UK is growing at the fastest rate since the 1960s, increasing on average by 0.5 per cent each year. The fastest growing age group is those aged 85 years and older, who now represent just over 2 per cent of the population, compared to just over 1 per cent in 1982. In 2007, continued increase in the population over state pension age meant for the first time this sub-group of the population exceeded the number aged under 16. Further improvements in survival mean both the continued growth of the older population and the likely continued ageing of the population as a whole.