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Research unveils centenarian nations


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#1 maestro949

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Posted 28 September 2007 - 08:32 PM


Number of centenarians in Wales jump from 100 to 9,000 is less than a century.

Friday, 28 Sep 2007 13:36

Research unveils centenarian nation

More 100-year-olds in England and Wales than ever before

There are more people living in England and Wales aged over 100 years old than ever before in history, research has revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2006 there were 9,000 centenarians; those who had past the 100-year-old barrier.

In comparison in 1911 there were only 100 people who had reached their one hundredth year.

The ONS said that the number of centenarians has increased at a faster rate than any other age group in England and Wales since the 1950s.

But the government agency explains this trend is replicated across the west.

"The major contributor to the increasing number of centenarians is increased survival between age 80 and 100 due to improved hygiene and sanitation, improving food, housing and living standards and medical treatment," a spokesperson explained.

According to today's data, the number of women aged more than 100 years old outnumbers their male counterparts seven to one, but that ratio is predicted to fall.

An ONS statement concluded: "Future numbers of centenarians will depend on both the numbers in the population today and their future survival; current population projections suggest the number of centenarians in England and Wales will increase at an annual average of six per cent a year to four times the current number, reaching almost 40,000 by mid-2031."



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Edited by maestro949, 29 September 2007 - 10:31 AM.


#2 maestro949

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Posted 28 September 2007 - 08:46 PM

A similar story for Japan.

Japan sees boom in centenarians

TOKYO, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - Japan currently has more than 32 thousand nationals over the age of 100, the country's Health Ministry said Friday.

Research carried out by the ministry also noted a rapid increase in the amount of people reaching the 100-year landmark. In 1963, the first year research was carried out in the country, there were a mere 153 people aged 100 or over.

Current centenarian numbers stand at 32,295, of which 88% are women, and the figure has increased by a third over the last four years.

The oldest person in Japan is Toyonaga Tsuneyo, a 113-year old woman living on the island of Shikoku. She is also the seventh oldest person in the world.

The world's oldest person is currently Edna Parker from the U.S. who is 114 years old. She claimed the title when Yone Minagawa, of Japan, died aged 114 in January 2007.


There is no clear explanation as to why Japan should have such a large number of centenarians. The Japanese traditional diet, of rice, fish and vegetables, is often put forward as one reason. This does not, however, explain the sudden spurt in longevity seen in the last few years.


UN figures put Japan's population in 2006 at 127.7 million. Just over 20% of the population is aged 65 or over and according to estimates, this figure is set to rise to almost 40% by 2050.


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#3 nihilist

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Posted 29 September 2007 - 07:06 AM

this is too simplistic, but doesnt alot of europe and japan drink massive amounts of tea?

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#4 maestro949

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Posted 29 September 2007 - 10:29 AM

They do and it's believed to be a contributor but as you suggest I think it's only a small piece of the puzzle. There have been numerous other contributors including those stated int the first article: improved hygiene and sanitation, improving food, housing and living standards and medical treatment.

Below is an animation representing China's aging population. I'm guessing that this is extremely conservative and doesn't account for rejuvenation therapies or have any notion of accelerating returns built in. Even a small set of wins in rejuvenation medicine turns this into a mushroom.

China's Population by Age & Sex, 1950 - 2050 (population in 1000)

In this animated population pyramid one can watch population change in China unfold over a 100 year period - between 1950 and 2050.  For the period 1950 to 1995 the pyramid is based on population estimates of the UN Population Division; the data for 2000 to 2050 are from the most recent medium variant UN population projection.

One can see how the "baby boom" generation from the 1960s and early 1970s "moves up" the age pyramid. The animation also visualizes the aging of the Chinese population, which is caused by the significant fertility decline since the mid-1970s (and the further increase in life expectancy). Within the next 3 decades the number of elderly people in China will increase massively (see also the discussion of China's aging problem).


Posted Image

Source: United Nations (1999): World Population Prospects. The 1998 Revision. New York (electronic data files)

Link to original source

Edited by maestro949, 30 September 2007 - 08:08 PM.


#5 Live Forever

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Posted 30 September 2007 - 07:13 AM

Interesting graph. Thanks for pointing it out maestro.

#6 eternaltraveler

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Posted 30 September 2007 - 07:30 PM

The US has 50-75 thousand centenarians. The US has a bit more than double the population, and 12.6 % of the population of the US is over 65 while in Japan 21.2% are 65 and older.

I don't see anything particularly special about japan.

#7 maestro949

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Posted 30 September 2007 - 08:17 PM

I agree. I think all of the advanced and even the advancing nations are moving towards a fairly similar survival curve.

#8 robert122

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Posted 21 October 2007 - 01:19 PM

[wis] I think it is silly to run these stories so often...it's like saying 'the population is growing'...DUH!

#9 maestro949

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Posted 22 October 2007 - 11:29 AM

It doesn't bother me how often they run. It might lead to more investment in rejuvenation therapy for the aging populations. It would suck if the majority of the world's population is sitting around in Depends and drooling in front of a TV watching Oprah reruns because we didn't have the foresight to make the necessary investment now.




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