Data and Intelligence
Factors
Population estimates - local authority based by five year age band
20% of Hartlepool’s population is aged over 65 years, of which 53.7% are female and 46.3% are male.
The percentage of total households that are aged 65 and over and live alone (one person household) is 6.1%. Of which, 32.9% are male and 67.1% are female from Census 2011.
IMD - Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - score (%)
In 2025, Hartlepool’s score was 27.3%, higher than the mean of all English unitary authorities which was 16.7. With Hartlepool as the 4th highest of all English unitary authorities.
- The Emergency Hospital Admissions due to falls in people aged 65 and over in Hartlepool was 1,565 per 100,000 in 2023/24. This was lower than both the region (2,122) and national (1,984) rate. Hartlepool has seen a declining trend in rate since 2010/11 which has declined more rapidly than England’s. For those aged 65 to 79 the rate of emergency hospital admissions for falls was lower than regionally and nationally at 869 per 100,000 in 2023/24. The trend has been erratic however generally declined between 2011/12 to 2022/23 with a spike in 2018/19. The rate has increased between 2022/23 and 2023/24 from 648 to 869 per 100,000. Emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people aged 80+ has experienced a declining trend since 2010/11 to 3,583 per 100,000 in 2023/24, lower than the region and nationally for this period. The national trend has remained fairly steady unlike Hartlepool’s.
- Hartlepool is in the top 50 local authorities in England for falls in people aged 65 and over.
- Hip fractures in people aged 65 and over was 574 per 100,000, lower than the North East and England’s averages. There has been no significant change in recent years.
- The direct standardised rate of emergency admissions for Dementia (aged 65 years and over) was 4,111 per 100,000 which is higher than both the North East (3,783) and England (3,517) in 2019/20.
- The estimated dementia diagnosis rate (aged 65 and older) was 77.4 per 100,000 in 2025, which is higher than the North East (70.6) and England (65.6).
- The preventable sight loss (age related macular degeneration) among those aged 65 and over is 122.1 per 100,000 which is higher than both the North East (117.8) and England (100.5) for 2024/25.
- The rate of people aged 75 and over that are registered blind or partially sighted was 1,964 per 100,000 in 2022/23 in Hartlepool. This is lower than both the North East (2,565) and England (3,031).
Wider factors
The percentage of people reporting a long-term Musculoskeletal (MSK) problem in 2024 in Hartlepool according to the GP patient survey was 26.6% which was the highest of all local authorities in England. The percentage reporting a long term MSK problem and at least one other long-term condition was 21.1% which again, was the highest rate of all local authorities in the country,
A number of risk factors are attributable to frailty, for physical activity 30.46% of respondents aged 19 and over in Hartlepool do less than 30 moderate intensity equivalent minutes of physical activity per week. The percentage of inactive adults is higher in Hartlepool than in the North East. There was an increase in inactive adults in 2020 which declined in 2021 before increasing again up to the latest data in 2023. Modifiable risk factors include obesity and smoking. In Hartlepool, 37.9% of adults in 2023 were classified as obese (based on BMI), this percentage has been increasing since 2015 and is higher than the North East. Similarly, the percentage of adults in Hartlepool that were classed as overweight in 2023 was 77.22%, again this has followed an increasing trend since 2015 and is higher than the percentage for the North East. The prevalence of current smokers in Hartlepool according to the Annual Population Survey was 13.47% in 2023, this is following a sharp decline from 41.55% in 2019.
Projecting Older People Population Information System
POPPI provides predictive statistics:
The total population over 65 predicted to have a fall will increase by 0.29% from 2023 to 2030 and 13.93% by 2040. The total population over 65 predicted to be admitted to hospital due to falls will increase by 17.67% from 2023 to 2030 and 40.5% by 2040.