Forty-nine men and 21 women aged over 60 got married last year, an eight per cent increase over 2010.

The National Statistics Office released an array of figures yesterday to commemorate the International Day for Older People. The statistics show 60 is slowly becoming the new 50: 7.3 per cent of people over 60 had a job in 2011, up from 4.6 per cent in 2001, and last year more than 24,000 over-64s went abroad, nearly double the figure of 2009.

At the other end of the spectrum, at that age, the at-risk-of-poverty rate stands at 18 per cent, higher than the general population, with 15 per cent unable to afford to keep their home adequately warm.

By the end of 2011, nearly a quarter of the population – or 98,550 – had entered their seventh decade, and one third will be over 60 in 13 years’ time, rising to 36 per cent by 2050.