REVEALED: North Norfolk has the oldest population in Britain

According to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) census data, north Norfolk is the local authority area with the highest average age in England and Wales.

With a median age of 54, the average age of people living in north Norfolk is 14 years higher than the national average (40).

In fact, between the last two censuses (in 2011 and 2021), the average age of north Norfolk increased by three years – from 51 to 54 years old.

The number of residents aged 65 to 74 rose by just under 3,000 people – a surge of 20.1pc - whereas the number of residents between 35 and 49 years of age fell by almost 2,900 – plummeting by 16.5pc.

Tim Adams, leader of North Norfolk District Council and chair of trustees at Cromer Cares – a charity supporting residents in need – said north Norfolk’s ageing population presents both “challenges and opportunities”.

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Cllr Tim Adams, leader of North Norfolk District Council (Image: Liberal Democrats)

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“We’ve understood this to be the case for a while now,” Mr Adams said.

“We’ve benefitted from having people come to live here over the years.

“Who wouldn’t want to live in north Norfolk? It’s a desirable location and hopefully that will always continue.

“We have many people who come on holiday here and eventually want to move here permanently.

“We have people move to the area who want to volunteer and get involved in community groups, with all sorts of expertise to offer from their careers.

“But sometimes people move here in good health and deteriorate as they age, which can put pressure on care.

“It’s difficult to recruit into social care, despite our efforts to improve the sector.”

The ONS defines the median age as 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.