From baby boom to baby bust?

The developed world faces a big demographic challenge. There can be no doubt that demographic trends lie at the heart of the global socio-economic system, given that economic growth is determined largely by the size and productivity of a country's labour force. With this information in hand, predictions can be made about growth in individual economies. The outcome of this analysis is startling. Whilst there should be around three billion more of us on the planet by 2050, the population of the developed world looks certain to fall. In this article, we outline some trends and assess ...