Fifth of Britons ‘to reach 100 years’

NEARLY a fifth of people living in Britain today are expected to celebrate their 100th birthday, the Government has predicted.

More than 10 million of Britain’s current residents, the equivalent of 17% of the population, are expected to live until they are at least 100, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Three million of these are currently aged under 16, while 5.5 million are between 16 and 50 and 1.3 million are between 51 and 65. A further 875,000 of the projected centenarians are aged over 65 and already retired.