Number of people aged 85 and over to quadruple in next 30 years, CSO data shows

One in four people aged 55-69 do not have a pension.

The number of people in Ireland aged 85 and over is projected to almost quadruple in the space of 30 years to 389,400, the Central Statistics Office has said.

In a new snapshot on the lives of the country's older people, the CSO said the old-age dependency ratio — which expresses the number of people aged over 65 as a percentage of working age adults — is expected to increase significantly in that same time.

This suggests greater pressures will be placed on the health service in future, as well as the public purse through State pensions, as people live longer.

In the meantime, its statistics suggest almost one in three (32.3%) of people aged 65 and over are living well, as they consider their life satisfaction to be high compared to just a quarter of people aged 25-49.

At the same time, while most older people live in a home they own without a mortgage to pay, a sizeable number of over 65s still have a mortgage, with over 27,000 people still paying one off. 

Furthermore, this age group is at higher risk of poverty compared to 18-34 year olds.

CSO statistician Sarah Crilly said: “The population of Ireland is ageing, and older people are continuing to be an active and vibrant part of our community.

“The Older Persons Information Hub includes both social and economic indicators, which cover life satisfaction, population, health, education, employment, income and poverty, crime, life events, and more. This is a reflection of the full and varied lives led by older people in Ireland.” 

The statistics show a greater number of people aged 65 and over in employment in recent years. In the second quarter of 2025, there were 131,400 people in this age group in work. This was an increase of 26% on the 103,900 in work in the second quarter of 2021.

While people are working later, one in four of those aged 55-69 do not have a pension.

The numbers still working reflect trends of working longer and come against the backdrop of auto-enrolment pensions set to be rolled out at the start of next year.

Keith Butler, chief executive of Ask Acorn, said the hope from this scheme is that it will pull more people into the pensions net.

“But there is a risk that people who have previously put off pension planning may see auto-enrolment as a ‘job done’ moment, when in fact the scheme might not be the most suitable or sufficient option for their individual retirement needs,” he said.

In terms of housing tenure, while 27,000 people aged 65 and over are still paying their mortgage, almost 17,000 are renting from a private landlord, while 36,000 rent from a local authority or a voluntary body.

Daragh Feely, sales director at Royal London Ireland, said the age at which first-time buyers get on the property ladder is creeping ever higher.

“As a result, there is an increased risk that people may have to continue paying off their debts into their retirement years," he said. "This, in turn would eat into their retirement income.

“Indeed, people now have the option to take out mortgages that run well into their retirement because in recent months, a number of lenders have started to offer mortgages that can be repaid up until the age of 80.”