Guernsey's elderly numbers may double, says economist

Guernsey could see its population of elderly people double in the next 30 years, said the States' economist.

Dr Andy Sloan said that was one of the possible scenarios outlined in a Policy Council report on the impact of the island's aging population.

Dr Sloan said a doubling of the number of elderly people in Guernsey could result in a 15-20% increase in the cost of public services.

He added that the most severe increases would be in healthcare and pensions.

Dr Sloan said despite these predictions, the island was in a better position than many other countries.

He said: "The scale of the pressures that we face is much less than many countries in Western Europe who can't afford their current level of services."