Stormont 'Failing to Plan' for Ageing Population — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Siobhan Casey, Northern Ireland's Commissioner for Older People, warned Stormont is "failing to plan" for a rapidly ageing society and continues to "plan for a population from a previous era."
- Official projections cited in Casey's report indicate that by 2025, the number of people aged over 65 in Northern Ireland will overtake the number of children.
- The over-65 population is projected to increase by almost 45% over the next 25 years, while Northern Ireland's total population is set to fall slightly.
- The pensioner-to-worker dependency ratio is projected to rise nearly 36% — from 269 to 366 per 1,000 working-age people — by mid-2049.
- The finalised Programme for Government contains only one reference to an "ageing population," which Casey called "hugely disappointing."
- Casey stressed the issue extends beyond health and social care, with implications for housing, public transport, and workplaces, while the funding strain from a shrinking worker-to-pensioner ratio is a challenge beyond Stormont's competence.
Why it matters: Casey's report projects a 36% jump in the pensioner-to-worker ratio by 2049, meaning a shrinking working-age population must fund rising healthcare and pension costs. With Stormont's Programme for Government making only one mention of ageing, Northern Ireland is entering this demographic shift without the coordinated long-term planning that healthcare, housing, and transport systems will require.
Ask SkimNews
