The number of people ages 65 and older in the United States has increased steadily during the past century, and growth has accelerated since 2011, when baby boomers first started to turn 65 (see Figure 1).

85 and older

the oldest old

Rationale: The fastest growing age group in the United States is the population aged 85 and older. You can be too old to exercise.

The estimated population of the U.S. was approximately 328.2 million in 2019, and the largest age group was adults aged 25 to 29. There were twelve million males in this age category and around 11.5 million females.

In 2011, about 40% of all centenarians in Canada were exactly 100, while 6% were 105 or over. Mortality rates above age 100 are quite high; therefore, among those aged exactly 100, about 60% will reach the age of 101.

But the definition of “a full life” is expanding, and the line dividing the two types of death is retreating. Not too long ago, a person who lived until age 70 was considered to have had a good, long run.

Life Expectancy Tables

By these measures, women today transition out of middle age around 65, a number that has increased from the late 40s in the 1920s. “Old” for women today is about 73, which increased from the late 50s in the 1920s. And “very old” today is about 80, an increase from about 67 in the 1920s.