Cohort Profile: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

Abstract

Ireland shares with other developed countries the prospect of rapid and sustained population ageing. The age distribution of the Irish population is undergoing a dramatic change at present and this trend is predicted to continue into the future.¹ People are living longer, and older persons represent a larger proportion of the population. In Ireland, the proportion of the population aged ≥65 years has remained steady at ∼11% for the past 40 years. However, it is projected that this proportion will rise to 14% by 2021 and to 19% by 2031.² The greatest increase will be in the oldest old, aged >80 years, which is expected to more than treble by 2036.² This change in the demographic profile of the Irish population poses a major public health challenge.