THE NUMBER OF people over the age of 60 getting married has more than doubled in the last 10 years, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 

The number of people aged 65 and over is estimated to have risen by over 40% between 2013 and 2023, from 569,000 to 806,000, and is expected to double again to 1.6 million by 2051, the CSO has said. 

“The population of Ireland is ageing, with life expectancy increasing and older people continuing to be an active and vibrant part of our community,” Sarah Crilly, statistician in the CSO health division, said. 

The data shows the number of marriages registered by people aged 60 and over more than doubled between 2012 and 2022, from 505 to 1,028.

There was an almost 80% increase in the number of people aged 70 and older holding full driving licences between 2012 and 2022, from 205,000 to 366,000.

Over 113,000 people aged 65 and over were in employment in the third quarter of 2023, working an average of 31.1 hours per week.

Between 2017 and 2021, the number of domestic overnight trips taken by those aged 65 and over more than doubled, from around 125,000 trips to 269,000.

Almost twice as many females aged 75 and over were likely to use the bus at least weekly at 13%, compared with 7% of males aged 75 years and over.

Fewer than half (42%) of those aged 75 years and over have never used the internet, in comparison with 13% of those aged 60 to 74 years.

In 2021, there were 240 suspected offenders of assaults aged 60 years and over. This compares with 2,187 suspected offenders of assaults aged between 18 and 29.

Between 2021 and 2022, the recorded attempts or threats to murder, assaults, harassments, and related offences on those aged 65 years and over increased by almost a quarter, from 1,109 to 1,362 crime incidents.