Research: Number of Centenarians to Grow by 2054

The percentage of the U.S. population who will reach 100 years of age is projected to quadruple by 2054, according to the Pew Research Center. Currently, centenarians number around 101,000, making them .03% of the overall U.S. population. The U.S. Census Bureau’s analysis suggests that the number of centenarians will be 422,000.

Photo by Caterina Berger on Unsplash 

Currently, women make up 78% of Americans who reach or surpass this age milestone. However, the overall percentage of women who make it to this age is projected to drop to 68% by 2054 while more men (32%) are expected to reach this age.

Additionally, 77% of current centenarians are White, followed by 8% Black, 7% Asian and 6% Hispanic. 

While Whites are projected to still make up the majority of centenarians in 2054, their share will drop to 72%. In comparison, the share of U.S. Hispanic centenarians will climb to 11% as well as Black centenarians to 10%. Asian centenarians are expected to make up a smaller percentage of this group (5%) in 2054.

The Pew Research Center also noted that the global centenarian population is projected to grow to nearly 4 million by 2054. Currently, Japan had the most centenarians (146,000), followed by the United States (101,000), China (60,000), India (48,000) and Thailand (38,000). These numbers are expected to grow by 2054 with China leading the way with 767,000 centenarians, followed by the U.S. (513,000), Japan (402,000), India (402,000) and Thailand (326,000).

While our ISW team is all about a long life, we also put a high value on quality of life—and that means each woman taking ownership of key factors such as health, finances, relationships, etc. We invite you to continue to check our columns and podcasts to learn more about how to infuse more quality into your life.