December 6, 2024
Striking findings from 2024
By
Jenn Hatfield
and
Anna Jackson
An image of some charts found in this post.
Pew Research Center has gathered data around some of this year’s most pivotal news stories, from the U.S. presidential election and international conflicts to debates over immigration and the role of social media in society.
Here’s a look back at 2024 through 14 of our most striking research findings. These are just a small slice of the Center’s many research publications from this year.
(In these findings, Republicans and Democrats also include independents who lean toward each party.)
The U.S. centenarian population is projected to more than quadruple over the next 30 years. An estimated 101,000 Americans were 100 or older in 2024 – including former President Jimmy Carter, who reached the milestone in October. By 2054, the number of centenarians in the United States is projected to rise to around 422,000, according to a January analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
A line chart showing that the U.S. centenarians projected to quadruple in number by 2054.
Today, 78% of Americans in their 100s are women and 22% are men. There are also racial and ethnic differences within this group: 77% of centenarians are White, while far fewer are Black (8%), Asian (7%) or Hispanic (6%). White adults are expected to still make up the majority of U.S. centenarians by 2054, though their share is projected to fall slightly to 72%. Asian centenarians are also expected to make up a smaller share by 2054 (5%), while the shares of Hispanic (11%) and Black (10%) centenarians will grow.
Projections from the United Nations put the global centenarian population at 722,000 in 2024. Japan is home to more centenarians than the U.S., at 146,000. The U.S. is second, followed by China (60,000), India (48,000) and Thailand (38,000).
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/12/06/striking-findings-from-2024/
