evidence: The effects of an ageing population that weighs on participation will intensify in the coming years,[11] due to the increasing share of older people in the population who have lower-than-average participation rates. [...] (11) According to the latest ONS population projections, the population aged 16 or over is expected to increase by close to 1.9 million, with the population aged over 65 rising by 1.2 million.