2 Age discrimination and UK law

This section will look at how age discrimination is treated under UK law. You will be introduced to relevant aspects of the Equality Act 2010 and the regulations for public bodies known as the Public Sector Equality Duty.

You will also learn about the specific duties that apply in Wales and the role of an Older People’s Commissioner, an office unique to Wales and Northern Ireland.

For context, it is worth noting some demographic data such as the median age of the UK’s population and how it has increased since 1975.

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Figure 7: Median age since 1955 in the UK (UN, 2024)

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A line graph titled ‘Median age of population – United Kingdom’. The x-axis shows years from 1955 to 2025 in 10-year intervals. The y-axis shows median age from 30.0 to 42.0. Data points: 1955 – 34.1, 1965 – 34.1, 1975 – 32.9, 1985 – 34.3, 1995 – 35.6, 2005 – 37.5, 2015 – 38.8, 2025 – 40.1. The trend shows a slight dip in 1975, then a steady increase to 40.1 by 2025. Source: United Nations, Revision of World Population Prospects (2024).

Figure 7: Median age since 1955 in the UK (UN, 2024)

According to the Office for National Statistics, Scotland and Wales have the highest median ages in the UK. 898,383 people over 60 live in Wales, a number projected to rise to 993,000 by 2030 (ONS, 2024).

For a more detailed look at the overall picture for older people in Wales you can read Growing older in Wales: A snapshot of older people’s experiences [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales. This link will also be available in the resources section at the end of the course.