Fewer over-90s in Ashfield living with a disability, latest census figures reveal

The Office for National Statistics said the decrease in older people stating they have a disability when the census took place in March 2021 could be due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ONS figures show about 555 people aged 90 and older in Ashfield said they had a very limiting disability, accounting for 55.2 per cent of the age cohort and down significantly from 73.1 per cent when the previous census took place in 2011.

A further 155 over-90s, 15.4 per cent, said they had a disability that was a little limiting, down from 21.3 per cent a decade prior.

Across England, 44.3 per cent of the oldest age cohort said they had a disability that limited them a lot - a fall from 66.5 per cent in 2011. The proportion of older people saying they had a disability that limited them a little also fell from 24.2 per cent in 2011 to 20.1 per cent in 2021.

The ONS noted a change in the wording of the census question may also account for differences.

It said for older age groups, the visible prompt in the previous census question “include problems related to old age” was removed in the 2021 version, with the possible result this might have reduced the proportion of older people who considered they had a condition or illness.

Julie Stanborough, deputy director of data and analysis for social care and health at the ONS, said the drop in older people who are disabled “may seem surprising”.

She said: “Sadly, many disabled people died in the Covid-19 pandemic, which may be one of the reasons.”

The census figures also show more women had a disability in Ashfield than men. About 15,080 women, 23 per cent, said they had a disability in 2021 while 12,720 men, 21 per cent, did.

In England, 18.7 per cent of women and 16.5 per cent of men were disabled in 2021, while in Wales 22.3 per cent of women and 19.8 per cent of men were disabled.