We're about to see a mind-blowing demographics shift unprecedented in human history
The world is about to see a mind-blowing demographic situation that will be a first in human history: There are about to be more elderly people than young children.
For some time now, economists have observed that the proportion of elderly adults around the world is rising, while the proportion of younger children is falling.
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But within a few years, just before 2020, people aged 65 and over will begin to outnumber children under the age of 5, according to a recent report by the US Census Bureau.
And these two age groups will continue to grow in opposite directions: The proportion of the population aged 65 and up will continue increasing, while the proportion of the population aged 5 and under will continue decreasing.
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In fact, according to the Census Bureau, by 2050, those aged 65 and up will make up an estimated 15.6% of the global population — more than double that of children under the age of 5, who will make up an estimated 7.2%.
"This unique demographic phenomenon of the 'crossing' is unprecedented," the report's authors noted.
There are and will continue to be differences between regions. Europe will remain the oldest region through 2050 with over 25% of Europeans aged over 65 at that time, even though the pace of aging will slow.
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Additionally, although the percentage of China's and India's populations over the age of 65 may not be as large as that of various European countries or Japan, their overall populations are enormous, which means that the total number of older people living in China and India will be much larger than in other countries.
By comparison, some of the youngest countries will be located in South-Central Asia (Afghanistan), Western Asia (Kuwait, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia) and South-Eastern Asia (Laos).
In any case, you can see this incredible demographic trend in the chart below. The spot where the two lines cross indicates the moment when the percentages of elderly and under-5 populations are equal, and after that the share of older people will outnumber the share of younger children.
Alan Crowhurst / Stringer / Getty Images
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