Number of Elderly Prisoners in the UK: The 2026 Figures

The number of older people in prison in England and Wales has grown steadily over the past decade, even though the total prison population has stayed broadly the same. This article uses the latest official figures from the Ministry of Justice, for 30 June 2026. An earlier version of this article reported US figures. It now uses UK official statistics instead.

How many elderly prisoners are there?

On 30 June 2026, there were 85,858 people in prison in England and Wales. Of these:

Age group	Number of prisoners	Share of all prisoners
50 to 59	9,250	10.8%
60 to 69	4,737	5.5%
70 and over	2,197	2.6%
All aged 50 and over	16,184	18.8%
All aged 60 and over	6,934	8.1%

So nearly one in five prisoners in England and Wales is aged 50 or over, and around one in twelve is 60 or over. Most are serving a sentence. Of the 2,197 prisoners aged 70 or over, 2,104 were sentenced and 91 were on remand.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate prison systems and publish their own figures, so they are not included here.

How the numbers have changed since 2015

The Ministry of Justice publishes age figures for every quarter back to June 2015. Comparing 30 June 2015 with 30 June 2026:

Age group	30 June 2015	30 June 2026	Change
50 to 59	7,871	9,250	up 18%
60 to 69	2,878	4,737	up 65%
70 and over	1,231	2,197	up 78%
All aged 50 and over	11,980	16,184	up 35%
All prisoners	86,193	85,858	down less than 1%

In other words, while the total prison population barely changed, the number of prisoners aged 60 and over rose by around 69%, from 4,109 to 6,934. The number aged 70 and over has not tripled, but it has grown by more than three quarters in eleven years.

Why it matters for care

Like older people outside prison, older prisoners may need help with personal care, getting around, or managing long-term health conditions. As the number of prisoners in their 60s and 70s grows, so does the need for social care inside prisons.

In England, the Care Act 2014 says that for an adult in prison, the local council where the prison is located is responsible for assessing and meeting their care and support needs. This is because the Act treats a prisoner as "ordinarily resident" in the area where they are detained.

Planning for release can also be difficult. An older person leaving prison may need housing with support, home care, or a place in a care home. Our guides to home care and paying for care explain how care is arranged and funded in England. If someone is nearing the end of life, our end-of-life care guide explains the support available.

About these figures

• The figures are from the Ministry of Justice's Offender management statistics quarterly, published on 30 July 2026. They cover England and Wales only.
• They count everyone in prison on a single day (30 June each year), including people on remand and a small number of "non-criminal" prisoners.
• The next quarterly update is due on 29 October 2026.

Sources

• Offender management statistics quarterly: January to March 2026 (Ministry of Justice)
• Annual prison population: 2026, Table 1.A.18 (Ministry of Justice)
• Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, release announcement (Ministry of Justice)
• Care Act 2014, section 76: Prisoners and persons in approved premises (legislation.gov.uk)