London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Greenwich 1962

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]

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18
Expectation of Life—From 1841, when the expectation of life
at birth was 40 years for males and 42 for females, there was a
gradual but persistent rise in both these figures until 1954, but
since that year the expectation of life at birth has scarcely changed
and now stands at 68 years for males and 74 for females
Age Composition of Population—It has been expedient from
time to time to make analyses of the population figures with particular
regard to age distribution in relation to whooping cough,
diphtheria, poliomyelitis and BCG prophylaxis and, more
recently, the problem of the aged In line with the general trend
throughout the country, Greenwich has an ageing population and
the number of persons outside the normal working range is still
increasing Although since the end of World War II there has
been a sharp rise in births compared with those of the immediate
pre-war years, a fact which naturally tends to advance the proportion
of "under 15s" of the population, the relative size of the
"over 65s" group also continues to increase These two faotors
together have augmented the pressure of dependency on the working
portion of the population, viz, those between 15 and 65 years
—a section of the community whose relative size has correspondingly
diminished
From details given in the following table it will be seen that
the "working" population of Greenwich, ie those between 15 and
65 years amounts to approximately 67% and that of "dependent"
groups collectively, to 33% In effect, this means that for every
two persons of "working age" there is one dependent person
outside this group

ESTIMATED AGE COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION

AgeNoApprox % of Total Population
As estimated by the Registrar General:Under 1 year1,3301.6
1 to 4 years (inclusive)4,8705.7
5 to 14 years (inclusive)11,50013.6
Total Child Population under 15 years17,700209
Estimatedlocally:15 to 64 years (inclusive)56,808670
65 years and over10,22212.1
Total Population84,730100.0