Loneliness among older people in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester has about 471,000 residents aged 65 and over, 15.66% of its 3.01 million people, on the Office for National Statistics' mid-2024 estimates. Age UK's December 2024 analysis of the Understanding Society survey found that 7% of people aged 65 and over in the UK are often lonely and 3% go a week without speaking to a friend or family member. Applied to Greater Manchester's population, that is roughly 33,000 older people who are often lonely and about 14,000 who go a week without speaking to family or a friend. Stockport and Wigan have the largest older populations; Manchester has the most older residents in absolute terms after those two, despite the youngest age profile.

Why we published this

Local loneliness figures need careful interpretation. National figures exist. Borough figures do not. So we have done the arithmetic in the open: the ONS population of each borough, its share of over-65s, and what Age UK's national loneliness rates imply if they hold locally. The method is below so that anyone can check it, and the limits are stated because a number without its limits is a guess in a suit.

The older population of Greater Manchester

The Office for National Statistics' mid-2024 estimates give Greater Manchester 3,009,664 residents, of whom 15.66% are aged 65 or over. That is about 471,000 people.

ONS publishes the share aged 65 and over rather than a count for these areas, so the last column is population multiplied by share, rounded to the nearest hundred.

Two things stand out. Stockport has the oldest profile, with one resident in five over 65. Manchester has the youngest, with fewer than one in ten, and yet its sheer size means it still has the third largest number of older residents in the region.

What the national loneliness rates imply

Age UK's December 2024 report, built on wave 14 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study collected between 2022 and 2024, found that:

• 7% of people aged 65 and over in the UK, about one in fourteen, are often lonely. That is around 940,000 people nationally.
• 3% of people aged 65 and over in England, about one in 33, go a week without speaking to a friend or family member. That is around 270,000 people.
• Nine in ten older people who are often lonely also report being unhappy or depressed, against four in ten of those who are hardly ever lonely.
• Without intervention, Age UK projects 1.2 million people over 65 in England often feeling lonely by 2034.

If those national rates hold in Greater Manchester, the implied numbers are:

The limits of these numbers

These are national rates applied to local populations. They are not the result of a survey in Greater Manchester, and the true figures will differ by borough: loneliness is associated with living alone, bereavement, poor health, low income and poor transport, none of which is evenly spread across the ten boroughs. A borough with an older but wealthier and better connected population may sit below the national rate; a borough with more people living alone in poor health may sit above it.

What the numbers are good for is scale. Even if the true rate in a borough is half the national one, over a thousand older people in every borough are often lonely, and several hundred go a week without speaking to family or a friend. That illustrates a possible scale of need; it does not establish individual need or demand for a paid service.

What a weekly visit does and does not do

Companionship offers time with a familiar person, with the visit length and frequency agreed around what they want. It is not a cure for loneliness and we do not describe it as one. A wanted visit can add a regular point of contact, an opportunity for a chosen activity and an agreed update for family. Whether it helps depends on the person and the arrangement. For a person who currently goes a week without speaking to anyone close to them, that is the difference between zero and one.

Where to turn

If you are worried about an older relative or neighbour, or about yourself, there is more than one door. Your GP practice can refer to a social prescribing link worker, who knows the groups and services in your area. Age UK's local branches across Greater Manchester run groups, lunch clubs and befriending. Council adult social care teams can assess for support. And a weekly companionship visit from Whitegreen can start within a couple of weeks: ring 07888 874689 or arrange a free meet-and-greet.

We will update this guide when ONS publishes mid-2025 estimates and when Age UK publishes new loneliness figures.

What the figures cannot tell you about someone you know

A borough estimate cannot tell you whether a particular person feels lonely, wants a visitor or would enjoy the same activities as their neighbours. It should not be used to turn an address or an age into a sales assumption.

Start with the person's ordinary week. What do they enjoy, who do they like to see and what have they stopped doing that they would like to return to? A person can value quiet time and still want a particular kind of company.

Our guide to recognising when company could help focuses on those conversations. It also explains why a change in routine may need a health conversation rather than a companionship booking.

Turn a concern into a practical next step

Choose one gap with the person. It could be an afternoon without contact, an activity they no longer attend or practical jobs crowding out family visits. Then compare options: friends, community groups, befriending and paid companionship can each play a part.

The local area guides explain how to plan an outing and find relevant independent information. The family decision pack helps record what the person wants and what you still need to find out. Neither requires an enquiry or an email address.

Common questions

How many older people in Greater Manchester are lonely?

There is no borough-level survey. Applying Age UK's national rate of 7% "often lonely" to the ONS count of about 471,000 residents aged 65 and over gives an estimate of roughly 33,000 people. Treat it as an order of magnitude, not a count.

Which Greater Manchester borough has the most older people?

Wigan, with about 66,500 residents aged 65 and over, followed by Stockport (about 61,200) and Manchester (about 55,100). Stockport has the highest share at 20.15%.

Where do these figures come from?

Population and age shares are from the Office for National Statistics mid-2024 population estimates published 30 July 2025. Loneliness rates are from Age UK's report "You are not alone in feeling lonely", published 2 December 2024, based on wave 14 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Sources

References for the external facts and guidance on this page. Practical examples are examples. If information has changed, tell us so we can correct it.

1. Office for National Statistics, Population estimates for England and Wales: mid-2024, published 30 July 2025
2. Office for National Statistics, Explore Local Statistics, Greater Manchester
3. Age UK, "You are not alone in feeling lonely", press release, 2 December 2024