How common is dementia?
April 6 2014
According to the Alzheimer’s Society there are around 800,000 people in the UK with dementia. One in three people over 65 will develop dementia, and two-thirds of people with dementia are women.
Dementia is most common in older people but younger people (under 65) can get it too.
- 40-64 years: 1 in 1,400
- 65-69 years: 1 in 100
- 70-79 years: 1 in 25
- 80+ years: 1 in 6
Future projections
The number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer. The Alzheimer’s Society has produced the following figures showing that the number of people in the UK with dementia will double in the next 40 years. It is estimated that by 2021, the number of people with dementia in the UK will have increased to around 1 million.
- 800,000 people with dementia in 2012
- 1,000,000 people with dementia in 2021
- 1,700,000 people with dementia in 2051
Download an Alzheimer’s Society infographic (PDF)
