Abstract
Background: The health and well‐being of military veterans has recently generated much media and political interest. Estimating the current and future size of the veteran population is important to the planning and allocation of veteran support services.
Methods: Data from a 2007 nationally representative residential survey of England (the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey) were extrapolated to the whole population to estimate the number of veterans currently residing in private households in England. This population was projected forward in two ten‐year blocks up to 2027 using a current life table.
Results: It was estimated that in 2007, 3,771,534 (95% CI: 2,986,315–4,910,205) veterans were living in residential households in England. By 2027, this figure was predicted to decline by 50.4 per cent, mainly due to large reductions in the number of veterans in the older age groups (65–74 and 75+ years).
Conclusion: Approximately three to five million veterans are currently estimated to be living in the community in England. As the proportion of National Service veterans reduces with time, the veteran population is expected to halve over the next 20 years.
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1This article was produced by: Charlotte Woodhead, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, King's College London; Andy Sloggett, Centre for Population Studies, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Issy Bray, Health Information and Surveys Division, DASA; Jason Bradbury, Health Information and Surveys Division, DASA; Sally McManus, National Centre for Social Research; Howard Meltzer, University of Leicester; Terry Brugha, University of Leicester; Rachel Jenkins, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Section of Mental Health Policy, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Neil Greenberg, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, King's College London; Simon Wessely, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, King's College London; Nicola Fear, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, King's College London.
Data from a 2007 nationally representative residential survey of England were extrapolated to the whole population to estimate the number of veterans currently residing in private households in England
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Woodhead, C. An estimate of the veteran population in England: Based on data from the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. Popul Trends 138, 50–54 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/pt.2009.47
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/pt.2009.47