The generations explained: years, names and how they differ

There are eight living generations in 2026, from the Silent Generation (born 1928 to 1945) to Generation Beta (born from 2025). This page gives the birth years and ages of each, explains where the boundaries come from, and compares how the generations communicate using our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people. Five generations currently share the workplace, with Generation Alpha arriving from about 2031.

What are the generations and what years are they?

The generations alive in the UK today run from the Silent Generation, born 1928 to 1945, to Generation Beta, born from 2025, with the Baby Boomers, Generation X, the Millennials, Generation Z and Generation Alpha in between. The table gives the birth years and the age of each in 2026.

Generation	Born	Age in 2026
Silent Generation	1928 to 1945	81 to 98
Baby Boomers	1946 to 1964	62 to 80
Generation X	1965 to 1980	46 to 61
Millennials (Gen Y)	1981 to 1996	30 to 45
Generation Z	1997 to 2012	14 to 29
Generation Alpha	2013 to 2024	2 to 13
Generation Beta	2025 onwards	0 to 1

These follow the Pew Research Center cut-offs, which our 2024 survey's age bands line up with. A few members of the Greatest Generation, born before 1928, are also still with us, making 2026 the first year with eight living generations.

How many generations are in the workplace?

Five generations share the UK workplace in 2026: the Silent Generation (now rare), Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z. Generation Alpha will arrive from about 2031, when the oldest turn 18, making six.

The proportions are uneven. In our 2024 survey, 65% of Millennials and 56% of Gen X aged 18 and over worked full time, against 15% of Baby Boomers and 1% of the Silent Generation, 95% of whom were retired. Among Gen Z aged 18 and over, 38% worked full time and 27% were full-time students. Our multigenerational workplace guide covers what that mix means.

Where do the generation boundaries come from?

Generation boundaries are conventions agreed by researchers, not facts of nature. The most widely used cut-offs from the Silent Generation to Generation Z come from the Pew Research Center in the United States, which ends Gen Z at 2012. The labels Generation Alpha and Generation Beta are commonly credited to the Australian social researcher Mark McCrindle, who continued the sequence with the Greek alphabet.

People born near the lines are "cuspers" who may identify with either side. Gillian White, a self-described Gen X cusper, made the case in Don't Box Me In, and Kate Heathcote described life between Gen X and Millennial in Engineering, Parenthood and Life on the Generational Cusp. Where a generation begins matters far less than what happened to its members growing up.

How do the generations differ in how they communicate?

Every generation except the Silent Generation now reaches friends and family by WhatsApp first, but the phone call and the voicemail divide the generations sharply. Our 2024 survey of 4,067 UK people asked each generation the same questions; the table shows four of the clearest differences.

Generation	Most common way to contact friends and family	Like phone calls and "do it a lot"	Would leave a voicemail	Would send a message instead	Use WhatsApp
Silent Generation	Phone them (47%)	62%	49%	11%	61%
Baby Boomers	WhatsApp (34%)	49%	46%	15%	72%
Generation X	WhatsApp (42%)	35%	28%	34%	80%
Millennials	WhatsApp (49%)	35%	16%	46%	91%
Generation Z	WhatsApp (35%)	32%	12%	53%	87%
Generation Alpha	WhatsApp (41%)	38%	14%	46%	60%

Source: Communication Habits and Preferences 2024. The voicemail and message columns are the two main answers to what people do when a call is not answered; the rest try again later.

The pattern is a slope rather than a cliff. 62% of the Silent Generation like phone calls and make them a lot, falling to 32% of Gen Z, and 49% would leave a voicemail, against 12% of Gen Z. WhatsApp peaks with Millennials at 91% and is used by 61% of the over 78s. See our generational communication guide for each channel in turn.

Do generational differences really exist?

Yes, but they are smaller than the headlines suggest. 75% of UK workers in our 2024 survey say the way people think and behave at work varies with age, a view shared almost equally by every generation, from 73% of 22 to 27 year olds to 77% of Baby Boomers. The most cited difference is communication style (51%), ahead of work ethic (43%).

HR managers see the same thing. In our Generations in the Workplace Study 2023, 66% said communication with and between generations posed challenges for business efficiency, yet only 6% rated friction between age groups as a major challenge and 31% said it was no challenge at all. Difference is real; conflict is rare.

Alastair's view, quoted in Psychology Today and People Management, is that "we are framed by our generation, not defined by it". Formative events shape our habits, but they do not dictate who we are, even though 48% of people aged 16 and over find it easier to connect with people their own age. Generational insight is a lens, not a label.

The generations one by one

Silent Generation (born 1928 to 1945)

Aged 81 to 98 in 2026, the Silent Generation grew up in wartime and post-war Britain. They are the last generation for whom the phone is the default: 47% would phone friends and family first, 62% like phone calls and make them a lot, 73% still use a landline and 79% send birthday cards by post. Yet 61% use WhatsApp, and Maurice Collins, a 90 year old inventor and author, is the living proof in 90 Years Young. Read the Silent Generation guide.

Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964)

Aged 62 to 80, the Baby Boomers were born into the post-war birth boom and the welfare state. 49% like phone calls and make them a lot, 46% would leave a voicemail and 68% post birthday cards, but 72% use WhatsApp and 44% use social media much. At work, 40% of those who use video calls like them and do so a lot, the highest of any generation, while only 20% are ambitious to move up. Read the Baby Boomers guide.

Generation X (born 1965 to 1980)

Aged 46 to 61, Gen X grew up before the internet and adopted it as adults, and have a foot in both camps. 37% send emails more than once a day, the highest of any generation, and 62% use Messenger, but 44% have never left a voicenote. They are the most wary of the phone: only 24% would answer an unknown number and 32% only make calls if they have to. The cynical middle child stereotype fits the numbers only loosely. Read the Generation X guide.

Millennials, Gen Y (born 1981 to 1996)

Aged 30 to 45, the Millennials, labelled Gen Y in our survey, are the WhatsApp generation: 91% use it and 49% would contact friends and family through it first. 70% use Messenger, 48% have used an AI platform and 33% say they read non-verbal communication very well, the most of any generation. 48% of Millennial workers manage other people and 66% are ambitious to move up. The "entitled" generation is now running things. Read the Millennials guide.

Generation Z (born 1997 to 2012)

Aged 14 to 29, Gen Z are the first smartphone-native generation and the most searched. 71% find it easier to connect with people their own age, 85% leave voicenotes, 53% would message rather than leave a voicemail and 45% of Gen Z workers want feedback at least weekly. 81% of 18 to 21 year old workers want to move up. Our guide tests the "lazy", "entitled" and "won't work in the office" stereotypes against 982 UK respondents. Read the Generation Z guide.

Generation Alpha (born 2013 to 2024)

Aged 2 to 13, Gen Alpha are the children of Millennials, born after the smartphone became ordinary. Our 2024 survey asked 201 of them, aged 8 to 12, directly: 67% have their own phone, 72% talk to friends through online games, 62% have never sent an email and 54% would visit a friend in person on their birthday, the highest of any generation. They enter the workplace from about 2031. Read the Generation Alpha guide.

Generation Beta (born 2025 onwards)

Aged 0 to 1, Gen Beta turned one in 2026, the year the youngest Millennials turned 30 and the oldest Baby Boomers 80. Nothing is known about them beyond the world they were born into: AI as an everyday tool (48% of Millennials have used one), messaging-first parents and an unresolved argument about children and screens. The label continues the Greek alphabet after Alpha, and Alastair's argument is that a generation which cannot yet talk should not be pre-judged. Read the Generation Beta guide.

Read the research

Every figure on this page comes from our own UK research. The Communication Habits and Preferences 2024 survey asked 4,067 people aged 8 to over 78 how they communicate. The Generations in the Workplace Study 2023 asked HR managers across Britain what they see, without telling them the study was about generations. Headline numbers are on our generations statistics page.

Frequently asked questions

What generation am I?

Find your birth year in the table above. Born 1928 to 1945, you are Silent Generation; 1946 to 1964, a Baby Boomer; 1965 to 1980, Generation X; 1981 to 1996, a Millennial; 1997 to 2012, Generation Z; 2013 to 2024, Generation Alpha; 2025 onwards, Generation Beta. Within a year of a boundary, you are a cusper.

What is the newest generation?

Generation Beta, born from 2025 onwards; the oldest turned one in 2026. The name continues the Greek alphabet sequence that began with Generation Alpha (born 2013 to 2024) and is commonly credited to the Australian researcher Mark McCrindle. No research exists on Gen Beta yet, and our guide explains why they should not be pre-judged.

Are generations the same in the UK and the US?

The labels and birth years are the same, because most British writers, including us, use the Pew Research Center cut-offs. The formative experiences differ: British Gen Z grew up with austerity, Brexit and £9,000 tuition fees. That is why we commissioned UK research; most generational statistics quoted in Britain are American.

How many generations are alive today?

Eight, for the first time, in 2026: the Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, Generation Alpha and Generation Beta. Five of them share the workplace, and Generation Alpha will make it six from about 2031.

What are the five generations in the workplace?

The Silent Generation (born 1928 to 1945, now rare at work), Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964), Generation X (1965 to 1980), Millennials (1981 to 1996) and Generation Z (1997 to 2012). In our 2024 survey, 75% of workers said thinking and behaviour at work varies with age; communication style was the most cited difference (51%).

Book Alastair to explain the generations, and how to communicate across all of them, at your next event.

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