The population of England and Wales continues to get older on average, new census data shows. There were nearly 14,000 centenarians recorded in the 2021 census, up from around 11,000 a decade before.
And more people aged 100 years old or older live in Birmingham than anywhere else in England and Wales, according to the census findings.
In Birmingham, there were 193 people living in the city recorded on the census who were at least 100 years old - the most in England and Wales. Next on the list was Cornwall where 177 people aged 100 or older lived, followed by Dorset (176) and Wiltshire (166).
David Sinclair, chief executive of the International Longevity Centre UK, said one of the main challenges of an ageing population is how to support people to age well.
He said: “We start ageing in the womb so we need to be looking at the young. We need to be thinking about access to education and learning across the whole life so that we can make sure we are prepared for the 100-year life, even if that doesn’t end up being everyone.
“We also need to change the narrative and debate around supporting people to work longer. We need to address challenges like pensioner poverty, shortages in housing and inequalities in health and life expectancy.”
Here are the Birmingham neighbourhoods with the most centenarians, according to the Office for National Statistics.

1. Sutton Coldfield North and Park
7 residents aged 100 or older live in the area Photo: Google Street View

2. Sutton Coldfield South and Central
7 residents aged 100 or older live in the area Photo: Google Street View

3. Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield
4 residents aged 100 or older live in Four Oaks Photo: Google Street View

4. Upper Witton
4 residents aged 100 or older live in Upper Witton Photo: Google Street View