Quarter of kids 'to reach 100'

More than a quarter of youngsters will be spending over a third of their lives in retirement, figures have shown, possibly making them more likely to find a care home.

Data from the Office for National Statistics has indicated that more than a quarter of children now aged 16 and under will reach their 100th birthday.

This means that 3.3 million individuals in this category will achieve the landmark age.

Moreover, 5.4 million people now between the ages of 17 and 50 along with 1.4 million aged 51-65 and over 900,000 over-65s are also predicted to reach 100.

Director Michelle Mitchell said that these figures emphasise the importance of having a good pension.

"It is good news that from next year, automatic enrolment into a workplace pension scheme will start, requiring both employee and employer to pay in contributions but with employees being able to choose to opt out," she said.

Meanwhile, older people are happier than those in their middle age, according to a report presented at the Royal Economic Society's annual conference.

Find the nearest Barchester nursing home.