Detailed analysis of the "oldest old" from the 2011 Census has revealed the UK has 1.25m people aged 85 and over – growth of nearly 250,000 in 10 years.
Women in this age group outnumbered men by two to one, according to the figures.
ONS says that on Census Day 2011 there were 1.25 million people aged 85 or over who were usually resident in England and Wales. This compared to 1.01 million in 2001.
In 2011, women outnumbered men in this age group by 2:1, but there was a larger percentage increase in the number of men (45%) than women (16%) over the decade.
In 2011, about one in 10 men and one in five women aged 85 and over lived in a communal establishment, with the remainder living in a private household, says ONS.
For every 100 women aged 85 or over, 77 were widowed, 13 were married and 10 were either single, separated or divorced. Out of every 100 men aged 85 and over, 43 were widowed, 48 were married and nine were either single, separated or divorced.
Some 31% of men and 25% of women aged 85 and over in 2011 considered that they had very good or good general health. This compared to 24% of men and 26% of women who reported that they had bad or very bad health.
A larger proportion of those aged 85 and over were providing unpaid care in 2011 than in 2001; 8.8% in 2011 compared to 5.0% in 2001. Over half of those aged 85 and over who provided care in 2011 were providing 50 or more hours of care in an average week.
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