Women nearly five times more likely than men to reach 100 in England and Wales, ONS data shows

Women in England and Wales were almost five times as likely as men to reach their 100th birthday in 2024, official statistics show, with experts citing historical smoking patterns, treatment differences and possible immunological advantages as contributing factors.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows 12,500 women celebrated their 100th birthday across England and Wales in 2024, compared with just over 2,800 men, making a total of 15,330 centenarians. The ONS figures indicate the total number of people aged 100 or over has more than doubled since 2002.

Public health researchers and clinicians pointed to a mix of long-term behavioural and biological factors to explain the widening gap. They noted that historically higher rates of smoking and heavy alcohol use among men have produced cohort effects that continue to influence mortality at the oldest ages. Amitava Banerjee, a clinical data scientist and honorary consultant cardiologist at University College London, said historically higher smoking rates in men are likely contributing to the present-day disparity.

Experts also highlighted advances in the detection and treatment of the two largest causes of death in Britain—cardiovascular disease and cancer—and suggested that some of these improvements may have disproportionately benefited women in recent decades. Research into immune function has further suggested that women, on average, may mount stronger immune responses and show greater resilience to certain infections in older age, which could influence survival to very old ages.

Public recognition for centenarians in the United Kingdom includes a royal tradition: individuals who reach their 100th birthday are eligible to receive a congratulatory message from the monarch. The ONS data reflect the changing demographic composition of the oldest age group and underline continued gains in longevity, though benefits have not been evenly distributed between the sexes.

Demographers caution that the pattern reflects both long-term trends and cohort-specific exposures. Smoking prevalence and drinking behaviour varied substantially by sex across the 20th century, and the health consequences of those behaviours can take decades to appear. Improvements in health care, screening and treatment have also progressed unevenly across different conditions and population groups, complicating simple explanations for survival differences.

The rise in the number of centenarians carries implications for health and social care planning, housing and support services for very old people. Policymakers and health services face growing demand for age-appropriate care, management of chronic conditions and support for independent living, as the population of the oldest-old expands.

The ONS figures provide a snapshot of longevity at one point in time and point to an ongoing need to understand how lifetime exposures, health-care access and biological differences interact to shape survival to extreme ages. Researchers say continued monitoring of trends, combined with investigation into sex-specific pathways to longevity, will be important to inform public health policy and clinical practice.