Hidden data shows when British people feel most content with life

British people dont reach their happiest point until their mid-60s and early-70s: this finding comes from govʼt surveys done about 6-8 years ago. The joy of grand-parenting plays a big role in this late-life satisfaction boost

The UKʼs birth-rate has hit an all-time low (just 1.44 kids per woman last year) which is way below the needed 2.1 for population stability. This drop means todays young adults will have fewer grand-kids than their parents — about one-third less by the time they reach their 80s

Paul Morland from Oxford University points to some real-world effects: “In a world where there are more and more old people and fewer and fewer young people services for the elderly will break down“ The numbers back this up; experts think people over-85 will grow from 1.6m to 2.6m in next 15 years

The trend isnt just a UK thing; other countries show whats coming:

• Japan has dropped to 1.2 kids per woman
• South Korea hit a world-low of 0.72
• England/Wales sees its lowest numbers since pre-WW2

Financial experts are seeing the change too. Malvee Vaja of Rathbones notes more clients who are either single grand-kids or couples without kids. Meanwhile Natasha Percy-Baxter from St Jamesʼs Place sees more parents helping their millennial kids with IVF costs

Immigration might help fix some issues but Morland says its not enough: “If people dont want mass immigration but theyʼre not prepared to have children theyʼre not being consistent“ He adds that Korean-level decline means each generation shrinks to one-third of the previous one