Do YOU live in Britain’s oldest town? Interactive map shows how average age of nation varies by region as the country gets older… with London now the only part of the UK where the median is under 40
- The average age in North Norfolk on the East Anglian coast has reached 54 years
- This compares with the median age across the entire nation hitting 40 years
The scale of the changes in Britain’s population can be laid bare today as official figures reveal how London is now the only region of the country where the average age is under 40.
The UK’s population is advancing to middle age across all regions except the capital city, census data shows.
The number of people aged 65-74 has risen by 20 per cent over the past decade, while those aged 35-49 has fallen by 16.5 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
At 54, the average median age in North Norfolk is 14 years higher than the national average. The South West, Scotland and Northern Ireland have an average age of 44, while London has an average median age of just 35 – up two years since the 2011 census.
While on average the nation is on average one year older than it was in 2011, Richmondshire in North Yorkshire has seen the median age rise by six years in that period – from 40 to 46. The area also reported the largest percentage-point increase in the number of people who have either divorced or dissolved a civil partnership between 2011-21.
The ONS says the median age ‘is the age of the person in the middle of the group, meaning that one half of the group is younger than that person and the other half is older’.
In areas where the average age is high, young people say they are increasingly likely to move on, with one 20-year-old woman telling MailOnline: ‘I’m leaving as soon as I can… there are not many opportunities here for young people unless you want to work in KFC or a care home.’
London is the only region with an average age of less than 40, according to ONS figures
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The ONS says Cromer, North Norfolk, is the local authority area with the highest median age where the average person is now 54, compared with the national average of 40
At 55, Victor Gray (pictured left with his daughter Jaeger in their beachside kiosk in Cromer) is a year older than the average person in the region
Jaeger, pictured left, who works alongside her father said: ‘It’s just old people here. I am happy here at the minute – but I would like to move away one day’
In East Anglia, the rapidly ageing population is having a major effect in rural areas. Council and tourism bosses proudly describe Cromer as ‘the gem of the Norfolk coast’ – but locals prefer to call it ‘Heaven’s Waiting Room’.
The seaside town earned its nickname due to its high proportion of elderly residents who move there to enjoy the sea air and traditional way of life.
Nobody in Cromer seems surprised to learn that the town and surrounding North Norfolk district was found to have a higher proportion of people nearer their pension than their 20s than anywhere else in England or Wales.
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Victor Gray, 55, who has lived in the town for 15 years and runs the Beach Treats coffee and burger kiosk on the seafront, said: ‘I prefer older people as they are less trouble.
‘They don’t get drunk and mess around like kids. They are really mellow and just moan about a cup of tea being dear.
‘Cromer has always been like this, so the census result is not news to me – but there seem to be even more of them in recent years.
‘We have always been home for older people and their dogs. Cromer is just one of those traditional places. It’s a bit of old England. It’s a shame the rest of the country isn’t like it
‘It’s fine for families with little kids as well – but there is nothing here for younger people.’
Victor’s daughter Jaeger Gray, 19, who works with him in the kiosk, added: ‘It’s just old people here. I am happy here at the minute – but I would like to move away one day.
‘It’s boring as there is hardly any night life apart from a couple of pubs. Everything shuts at 6pm. I am working the whole time and I don’t go out much. But I am saving up my money and I am hopefully going to Ibiza on holiday this summer.’
The town which is famed for its succulent crabs has a bustling high street with plenty of independent shops, cafés and restaurants. It is also a popular destination for holidays and day trippers who love walking along the promenade and visiting the town’s pier with its Pavilion theatre.
John Lee, 25, who works on a crab stall founded by his grandfather Johno in 1957, admitted most of his customers were from an older generation
Retired couple Barry Thorogood and his wife Ann, both 74, moved to Cromer after 12 years in their former retirement home in Guardamara in Alicante, Spain
Sam Napper, who works in a fish and chips kiosk on the sea front, said: ‘They call this town Heaven’s Waiting Room because of all the old people’
John Lee, 25, who works on the J.Lee crab stall founded by his grandfather Johno in 1957, admitted that most of his customers were from the older generation.
He said: ‘Generally our customers are not my age, let’s put it that way. People love Cromer crabs because they are the tastiest in the country. I have lived here all my life so I am not all surprised about the census result. This is a quiet place and there are a lot of second homes. A lot of older people move up here.
‘Generally older people have a bit more money than younger people, so it makes the area more prosperous. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but people seem to be living longer. It’s just a lot more chilled than other places. It’s a slower pace of life than you get in the cities.’
Retired businessman Barry Thorogood said he and his wife Ann, both 74, had recently moved to the area from their former retirement home in Guardamara in Alicante, Spain.
Jane Beresford, 59, and husband Andrew, 61, from Belper, Derbyshire, who were visiting with their two greyhounds in their camper van, said they ‘loved’ the north Norfolk coast
As the couple walked their boxer dog Budza on the promenade on a misty and overcast day, Barry who is originally from Romford, Essex said: ‘You certainly see a lot of older people wandering around here.
‘But I suppose we are used to it because it is the same in Spain with all the retired British people out there. We moved back to the UK because we thought it was time to come home after 12 years broad. We could have gone anywhere, but we chose Norfolk because it is a lovely place. It’s just the weather isn’t as good as what we have been used to.’
Sam Napper, 18, who works at the Fish and Chips at the Slope kiosk, said: ‘They call this town Heaven’s Waiting Room because of all the old people.
‘You can’t really blame them for coming here. If you are getting near the end of your life, why not be right beside the sea? It’s not a bad place to live – but there is not a lot of things for people my age to do. The shops are quite minimal for young people.
‘If you want to go to nightclub, you have to go to Norwich. It means catching a train down there and getting a taxi back which can be £60 to £70.
‘The beach is brilliant, and on the plus side there are plenty of jobs if you are prepared to look.
‘I have done landscape gardening, auto electrics and a bit of everything, and now I am selling fish and chips. It is just that things get a little bleak in the winter.’
David Michael, 58, who is holidaying in Mundesley, Norfolk with wife Fiona, 56, said: ‘At this time of the year you notice the number of elderly people’
Golf professional David Michael, 58, of Leighton Buzzard, Befordshire, who is holidaying in Mundesley, Norfolk, with wife Fiona, 56, said: ‘At this time of the year you notice the number of elderly people.
‘The whole place is nice and clean, and we enjoy getting out in the fresh air. All the public facilities like toilets are very well kept. Perhaps that is down to the older generation.
‘Everyone walking past always says hello. It is just one of those friendly places.’
Fiona added: ‘We have been to some beautiful towns and villages here. We even went to a Lionel Richie tribute show at the theatre on the pier. It was brilliant.’
Despite the overcast afternoon, visitors to the seaside resort of Cromer were not concerned about the lack of sun, stoically enjoying the bracing sea air
North Norfolk is officially the local authority area with the oldest median population, according to the ONS
Jane Beresford, 59, and husband Andrew, 61, from Belper, Derbyshire, who were visiting with their two greyhounds in their camper van said they ‘loved’ the north Norfolk coast.
As they ate fish and chips on a bench overlooking the sea, Jane said: ‘It is just a beautiful area. We enjoys walks and birdwatching, and there are so many places to go.
‘You can’t blame anyone our age wanting to live here. All the towns and villages are lovely, and the beaches are fantastic.’
Father-of-four Anthony Aston, 38, who moved with his family to Cromer three-years-ago and runs the town’s Crab Pot café, said: ‘I couldn’t ask for a nicer place to live. Being near the coast is fabulous. Everyone is so friendly. It’s just perfect. It is a lovely place to rear children.’
Father-of-four Anthony Aston, 38, who moved with his family to Cromer three-years-ago and runs the town’s Crab Pot café, said: ‘I couldn’t ask for a nicer place to live. Being near the coast is fabulous. Everyone is so friendly. It’s just perfect. It is a lovely place to rear children’
Evie Shepherd, 18, said she would holiday in the area with her family as a child. She said: ‘Cromer is a friendly town. I don’t care what age people are’
Sitting on a bench, eating sausage rolls with sons Freddie, two, and 15-month-old Ted, and surrounded by seagulls, he said: ‘We came to live here because we wanted a quieter life.
‘I came here on holidays as a child. I knew that there would be a lot of older people here, but it didn’t put me off. It’s not a bad thing – but it would be nice if there was more children around.’
Evie Shepherd, 18, from Hinkley, Leicestershire, who was crabbing from Cromer pier with boyfriend Lewis Anderson, 20, said: ‘We came here for a few days holiday before I have a baby in seven weeks.
‘Cromer is a friendly town. I don’t care what age people are. My family used to have a caravan in Norfolk and we came here for weeks at a time when I was younger.
‘I used to come crabbing on the pier as a little girl and now I am giving it a go again. I have bought some sardines from a shop and put them in a net weighed down with rocks.’
Local businesses are quite happy about the region’s older demographic as they tend to be better off and cause far less trouble than younger people
Retired sales rep Peter Stanford, 86, who lives in Norfolk with wife Merle, also 86, added: ‘Cromer is a quiet place – but that is part of its charm. It is one of those places that has not changed in years’
Actress and magician Beverley Bishop, 54, who is performing her one woman show The Accidental Magician at venues in Norfolk, said: ‘Cromer is just beautiful. I don’t really think about the age of people. I just love the area and the sea. Just look at the beach. What more could you ask for?’
Actress and magician Beverley Bishop, 54, who is performing her one woman show The Accidental Magician at venues in Norfolk, said: ‘Cromer is just beautiful. I don’t really think about the age of people. I just love the area and the sea. Just look at the beach. What more could you ask for?’
Retired sales rep Peter Stanford, 86, who lives in Norfolk with wife Merle, also 86, added: ‘Cromer is a quiet place – but that is part of its charm. It is one of those places that has not changed in years.’
On the south coast, the district of Rother in Sussex has seen its average age increase from 50 to 53 over the past decade.
It has the highest median age in the South East and is among the highest in the country.
Though younger people living in the area complain there is little for them to do compared with nearby destinations such as Brighton
Wayne Iddon (left), 61, and Bruce Thorburn (right), 75
Among the popular locations in the area is Bexhill-on-Sea. Bexhill at the end of April does not have the feel of a town adopting the brace position like others on the south coast on the eve of a Bank Holiday weekend.
Brighton might be getting ready for a Hen Party invasion but Bexhill is not where people go to party. The town is ageing gracefully enough, though, with fewer empty shop fronts than most along the Sussex coast. Tourist still come to Bexhill but the growth industry goes hand in hand with the rising median age. Care Homes and coffee shops are big in Bexhill.
Bruce Thorburn, 75, said: ‘I’ve lived her 26 years and I love it. I’m ex-forces and moved her after I came out. Bexhill does have a certain age group, that’s true.
‘We also have a unique driving style. Nobody pays too much attention to signs and lights. It is a quiet life here but if you want to get a bit louder, there’s Hastings and if you want it a bit classier Eastbourne is there.’
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Wayne Iddon, 61, moved to Bexhill from Brighton.
He said: ‘You can walk on the sea front and always meet somebody you know. I bought here and you do get value for money. The social life is very good.
‘In Covid, lots of young families moved down to Bexhill.
‘I think when everybody was told to work from home, people decided they fancied doing that by the sea.
‘I think the stats are wrong, there are plenty of young people here. It is like being on holiday every day. You do feel safe here. The young people are coming back, but the town shuts down at 10.30pm.’
Farrah Richards, 20, said she will be leaving her home town.
‘I’m leaving as soon as I can,’ she said. ‘If Eastbourne is God’s waiting room, Bexhill is the morgue. I’m planning to move to Brighton.
‘Brighton is everything Bexhill is not. I would have though the average age in Bexhill was much higher than 53. There are not many opportunities here for young people unless you want to work in KFC or a care home.’
John and Vera Douglas moved to Bexhill 19 years ago. Vera, 75, said: ‘We moved from Essex to be by the sea and nearer to Gatwick. We have lost a lot of shops and banks, but I think that’s the same everywhere.
‘We knew what it was going to be like before we moved here. I’m not surprised the average age is getting older but there are young families here.’
John, 79, said: ‘We really wanted a bungalow by the sea. Bexhill is the charity shop capital of the south coast.
‘People complain about the banks going, but I’ve not been inside one in years.’
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