By the Numbers: 31 July 2023
237%
The projected percentage increase in female veterans over the age of 65 from 2021 to 2041, according to an article in The War Horse, "an award-winning nonprofit newsroom and the most trusted source for bulletproof reporting on the human impact of military service."
Between 2021 and 2041, the number of veterans older than 85 is expected to increase by 31%, according to VA data. In part, that’s because the overall number of veterans nationwide is actually decreasing. During World War II, military service was common; in subsequent wars, the proportion of the population who served has steadily fallen. Between 2000 and 2018, the number of veterans in the country declined by a third—the bulk of Americans who have served in the military served decades ago.
But Vietnam and Gulf War-era veterans represent a different slice of the population than veterans who fought in World War II and Korea. The number of women veterans over the age of 65 is expected to increase by a staggering 237% between 2021 and 2041, according to data from VA. Racial diversity is also increasing, and the geographic distribution of veterans is shifting.
237%
The projected percentage increase in female veterans over the age of 65 from 2021 to 2041, according to an article in The War Horse, "an award-winning nonprofit newsroom and the most trusted source for bulletproof reporting on the human impact of military service."
Between 2021 and 2041, the number of veterans older than 85 is expected to increase by 31%, according to VA data. In part, that’s because the overall number of veterans nationwide is actually decreasing. During World War II, military service was common; in subsequent wars, the proportion of the population who served has steadily fallen. Between 2000 and 2018, the number of veterans in the country declined by a third—the bulk of Americans who have served in the military served decades ago.
But Vietnam and Gulf War-era veterans represent a different slice of the population than veterans who fought in World War II and Korea. The number of women veterans over the age of 65 is expected to increase by a staggering 237% between 2021 and 2041, according to data from VA. Racial diversity is also increasing, and the geographic distribution of veterans is shifting.