When future historians look back on the decade of the 2020s, they’ll likely be struck by two global demographic trends: 1) Aging populations across most of the world and 2) Populations that are now in outright decline in a large group of countries. The two trends are related. In North America, Europe and parts of Asia, an increasing share of the population is moving into retirement, meaning death rates will climb as more people enter their twilight years. Coupled with generally low birth rates, rapid aging is setting the stage for dwindling populations in many jurisdictions.
