Highlights of the change that is ahead
The Older American Population In the U . S . the population age 65 and older numbered 54.1 million in 2019 . They represented 16 % of the population , more than one in every seven Americans . The number of older Americans has increased by 14.4 million ( or 36 %) since 2009 , compared to an increase of 3 % for the under-65 population . In 2019 , 30 million women and 24.1 million men were age 65 and older . That ’ s 125 women for every 100 men . At age 85 and older , this ratio increased to 178 women for every 100 men . Since 1900 , the percentage of Americans age 65 and older nearly quadrupled ( from 4.1 % in 1900 to 16 % in 2019 ), and the number increased more than 17 times ( from 3.1 million to 54.1 million ). The older population itself became increasingly older . In 2019 , the 65-74 age group ( 31.5 million ) was more than 14 times larger than in 1900 ( 2,186,767 ); the 75-84 group ( 16 million ) was 20 times larger ( 771,369 ), and the 85 + group ( 6.6 million ) was more than 53 times larger ( 122,362 ). In 2019 , 3.8 million persons celebrated their 65th birthdays . Census Bureau population estimates showed an annual net increase between 2018 and 2019 of 1.7 million people age 65 and over . Between 1980 and 2019 , the centenarian population experienced a larger percentage increase than did the total population . There were 100,322 persons age 100 and older in 2019 — more than triple the 1980 figure of 32,194 .
Future Growth The older population is expected to continue to grow significantly in the future . Growth slowed somewhat during the 1990s because of the relatively small number of babies born during the Great Depression of the 1930s . But the older population is beginning to burgeon again as more than two-fifths ( 41 %) of the “ baby boom ” generation is now age 65 and older . The population age 65 and older increased from 39.6 million in 2009 to 54.1 million in 2019 ( a 36 % increase ) and is projected to reach 94.7 million in 2060 . By 2040 , there will be about 80.8 million older persons , more than twice as many as in 2000 . People age 65 and older represented 16 % of the population in the
year 2019 but are expected to grow to be 21.6 % of the population by 2040 . The 85 and older population is projected to more than double from 6.6 million in 2019 to 14.4 million in 2040 ( a 118 % increase ). Racial and ethnic minority populations increased from 7.8 million in 2009 ( 20 % of older Americans ) to 12.9 million in 2019 ( 24 % of older Americans ) and are projected to increase to 27.7 million in 2040 ( 34 % of older adults ). Between 2019 and 2040 , the white ( not Hispanic ) population age 65 and older is projected to increase by 29 % compared to 115 % for racial and ethnic minority populations : Hispanic ( 161 %), African American ( not Hispanic ) ( 80 %), American Indian and Alaska Native ( not Hispanic ) ( 67 %), and Asian American ( not Hispanic ) ( 102 %).
Marital Status In 2020 , a larger percentage of older men ( 70 %) than older women ( 48 %) were married . Widows accounted for 30 % of all older women in 2020 . There were more than three times as many widows ( 8.8 million ) as widowers ( 2.6 million ).
10 2023 SOUTHERN INDIANA MEDICAL GUIDE A PUBLICATION OF THE NEWS AND TRIBUNE