EconAir

  INTRODUCTION   Japan gets special consideration because it is further along the declining population curve than any other large country. It has the oldest population (highest average age) in the world. It has one of the world's lowest birth rates. Unless there are major changes in healthcare technology, immigration, public policy, and birth rates, most industrialized countries will follow Japan down the path of declining and aging populations, and smaller labor forces. Japan's birth rate is about half the replacement rate. This has continued for decades. By 2100, Japan’s population will decline by about 50%. Over 40% of the country’s population will be over 65 years old. The number of deaths will be substantially higher than the number of births. The number of children will be less than half the current number.   Japan's demographics and immigration have become major political issues. In the July 2025 elections, two right-wing parties made substantial gains ag...

Jakarta - 30 million people and sinking GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHICS Demographics, the study of the size and composition of population, will shape national and global economic growth and economic policy.   The period from 1950 to 2000 was highly unusual. The American “baby boom” started, temporarily reversing the long-term decline in birth rates.  Not just the United States but the global population experienced high birthrates and high population growth rates. In the middle of this period, partly due to more effective and more available birth control, birth rates began a rapid decline. The growth rate in world population began to fall. At the same time, much of the world’s population experienced rising standards of living. One consequence was longer life expectancies and rising average ages in industialized countries.   Countries with over a third of the world’s population and most of the world’s output now have birth rates below repla...