The biggest risk factor for dementia is age – the older you are the more likely you are to develop the condition, but it is not an inevitable part of ageing. About two in 100 people aged between 65 to 69 have dementia, and this figure rises to one in five for those aged between 85 to 89.
Page last reviewed: 05/07/2018
Source: Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer’s Society
Source: Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer’s Society
Source: Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer’s Society
It is a common misconception that dementia is a condition of older age, over 42,000 people under 65 years old have dementia in the UK.
Prevalence by age groups
The estimated percentage of people living with dementia at different age groups is shown below. This shows the effect of age on your risk of developing dementia, and also how many more women there are living with dementia at older ages.
Source: Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer’s Society
Projecting the prevalence of dementia by age group into the future shows the changing structure of the population of people living with dementia. The largest increases will occur in the oldest age brackets of 80 and above.
Source:Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer’s Society
This shows the age breakdown of the numbers of people living with dementia in 2015.
Source: Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London School of Economics for the Alzheimer’s Society