Chief Prognosticator

Fewer People vs. Older People

There is an interesting trend going on in several major countries around the world. The life expectancy of people in those countries are going up while the birthrate is going down. This generally means people are living longer but having fewer babies. This turns into the situation where the general population is an aging one, where the average age is… you guessed it… increasing. Is this a problem? Well maybe and maybe not. In places like Germany and Japan, people are worried that this older population will not be able to be supported by the government (e.g. retirement benefits and social medicine) because there are not enough young people. But there is a caveat to this — if people work longer, into their 60s and 70s, then the problem is removed. I think this is the only remedy for a planet where people are living longer and longer — have fewer children and prevent the population from exploding to unsustainable levels.