Most older people in the UK want to stay in their own homes, and the great majority do. Just 2% of older homeowners expect to move in the next six months, while the over-85 population is projected to almost double by 2045. Together these trends are driving sustained demand for home adaptations such as stairlifts. This page collects the key, fully sourced figures.
Key UK ageing-in-place figures
- 6.9 million households are headed by someone aged 65 or over, 29% of all households (English Housing Survey).
- 79% of households headed by someone 65+ are owner-occupiers; around three-quarters own their home outright.
- Only 2% of older homeowners expect to move in the next six months, against 5% of those aged 16 to 54.
- The UK population aged 85+ is projected to almost double from 1.7 million (2020) to 3.1 million by 2045 (ONS).
- The number of people aged 75+ is expected to roughly double to nearly 10 million by 2039 (House of Commons Library).
Older households and home ownership
As of the English Housing Survey, there were about 6.9 million households with a household reference person aged 65 or over, 29% of all households, an increase of more than a million since 2010/11. Around 79% of these households are owner-occupiers, with roughly three-quarters of people aged 65 and over owning their home outright. High outright ownership is a key reason adaptations like stairlifts are common: the home is a long-term, owned asset worth adapting.
Staying put: the ageing-in-place pattern
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Older homeowners expecting to move within 6 months | 2% (vs 5% of those aged 16 to 54) |
| Aged 65 to 74 living in their home 20+ years | 54% |
| Aged 75+ living in their home 20+ years | 57% |
| Homes (oldest person 60+) that are non-decent | 20% |
Most older people stay in homes they have lived in for decades. With around one in five of these homes classed as non-decent (damp, unsafe or in disrepair) by the Centre for Ageing Better, adaptation and repair are central to keeping people safe at home.
The demographic driver
The UK population aged 85 and over was 1.7 million in 2020 (2.5% of the population) and is projected to almost double to 3.1 million by 2045 (4.3%), according to the Office for National Statistics. The number of people aged 75 and over is expected to roughly double from 5 million to nearly 10 million by 2039. By 2040, close to one in seven people in the UK is projected to be aged over 75. Because two-storey housing dominates the UK stock, stairs are the single biggest in-home accessibility barrier for this growing group.
Why this matters
An ageing, home-owning population that overwhelmingly wants to stay put, living largely in two-storey homes, creates structural and growing demand for stairlifts and other adaptations. This is the demographic backdrop to rising Disabled Facilities Grant funding and the growth of the UK stairlift market.
Frequently asked questions
How many older people want to stay in their own home?
The vast majority. Just 2% of older homeowners in England expect to move within six months, against 5% of those aged 16 to 54.
How fast is the UK’s older population growing?
The population aged 85 and over is projected to almost double from 1.7 million in 2020 to 3.1 million by 2045, and those aged 75 and over to reach nearly 10 million by 2039.
How many UK households are headed by someone over 65?
About 6.9 million, which is 29% of all households, and around 79% of them are owner-occupiers.
Sources
- English Housing Survey, older people’s housing (GOV.UK)
- Office for National Statistics, ageing and population projections
- Centre for Ageing Better, State of Ageing (housing)
- House of Commons Library, housing an ageing population
How to cite this page
Stairlift Guru, “UK Ageing-in-Place Statistics”, stairliftguru.co.uk, 2026. https://stairliftguru.co.uk/stairlift-advice/uk-ageing-in-place-statistics/. Free to cite with attribution and a link to this page and the primary sources above.
Related: UK stairlift statistics · UK stairs falls statistics · Stairlift grants
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