Demographics in emerging countries

06 Jan 12

It is often said that demographics are destiny, that is, that population characteristics shape societies and economies in pre-determined ways. In most of the world, rapid societal ageing is underway as a result of the unique combination of weak or falling fertility on the one hand and rapidly rising longevity on the other.

The resulting rise in age structure, in which the productive working age population (WAP) will stagnate or decline, is expected to slow economic growth, and exacerbate the financial squeeze on both governments and individuals as the dependency ratio of older citizens on the WAP rises sharply.

Read the full article, written bei George Magnus.