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Scarborough named UK's retirement capital for sea-loving pensioners

Lottie Casas November 15, 2023

Scarborough is crowned Britain’s retirement capital for seaside-loving pensioners as more than a quarter of the town’s population is aged 65 and over

  • Nearly a third of Scarborough’s population is over the age of 65
  • Close behind are Conway, North Wales, and Chichester, West Sussex
  • Almost all the top ten locations for over-65s are by the sea 

Its golden sandy beaches and restorative waters have been drawing visitors for hundreds of years.

But while the advent of cheap air travel means Scarborough is no longer a family holiday favourite, pensioners are certainly seeing the appeal of setting up home there.

Almost a third of the North Yorkshire coastal town’s population – 27.6 per cent – is aged 65 and over, making it the retiree capital of Britain.

Closely behind are Conway, North Wales, and Chichester, West Sussex, with more than 27 per cent of their populations in the older age bracket.

Almost all the top ten locations for people aged over 65 are by the sea, with the top ten also including Maldon, Fareham, Havant, Great Yarmouth and Dover.

Almost a third of the North Yorkshire coastal town’s population – 27.6 per cent – is aged 65 and over

Though Scarborough is no longer a family holiday favourite, pensioners are certainly seeing the appeal of setting up home there

Whether it be the fresh air or pace of rural life, Britain’s ageing population are breathing new life into towns that were summer holiday hotspots in years gone by.

The details come from an analysis of figures from the Office for National Statistics and highlight the impact of our growing older population.

Figures for the top ten local authorities also show the same trend of the elderly living in the countryside and seaside rather than cities.

North Norfolk tops the table with more than one in three residents aged over 65.

Rother in East Sussex, East Lindsey by the Lincolnshire coast and East Devon all have more than 30 per cent in the retirement age group.

While Tendring in Essex, Dorset, the Isle of Wight, Arun in West Sussex and West Devon are all locations with similar seaside and rural characteristics.

At the other end of the scale, less than 10 per cent of Manchester’s population is aged 65 and over, while the borough of Tower Hamlets only has 5.6 per cent in this age group.

The research has been carried out by mortgage broker Responsible Life.

It found more than half (51.5 per cent) of local authorities have at least one fifth of the population as over 65s – compared to one third of residents ten years ago.

Taking 65 as the average retirement age today, ONS figures show that in 1998 the 65-and-overs accounted for one in six of the UK population (15.9 per cent), but this had risen to almost one in five by 2021 (18.7 per cent).

By 2050, over-65s are predicted to account for a quarter of the population.

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