{"id":14757,"date":"2014-02-03T13:08:14","date_gmt":"2014-02-03T18:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/10-projections-for-the-global-population-in-2050\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:23:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:23:40","slug":"10-projections-for-the-global-population-in-2050","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2014\/02\/03\/10-projections-for-the-global-population-in-2050\/","title":{"rendered":"10 projections for the global population in 2050"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2014\/01\/30\/attitudes-about-aging-a-global-perspective\/\">Pew Research Center report<\/a>\u00a0examines global public opinion on the challenges posed by aging populations and analyzes projections for\u00a0the populations in the U.S. and in 22 other countries. Here are 10 major findings regarding the demographic future of the world&#8217;s population in 2050.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>The global population is getting older:<\/b> The number of people 65 and older is projected to triple by mid-century, from 531 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2050. In the U.S., the population of seniors is expected to slightly more than double, from 41 to 86 million.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_1_popAge.png\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4f4ef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f4ef;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_1_popAge.png?resize=480,300 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_1_popAge.png?resize=641,401 641w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-27113 not-transparent\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_1_popAge\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_1_popAge.png\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><!--more-->1<b>The world is graying faster than the U.S.:<\/b>\u00a0The global median age, eight years less than in the U.S. in 2010, is projected to be only five years less by 2050.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254225\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_2_medianAge\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_2_medianAge.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>Who will be among the oldest?\u00a0<\/b>By 2050, the majority of people in Japan, South Korea and Germany are expected to be older than 50. Some Latin American countries, which are now younger than the U.S., will likely be older than the U.S. by 2050.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254226\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_3_medianAges\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_3_medianAges.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>Trading young for old:<\/b>\u00a0Most countries, including the U.S., are projected to see the share of their population that is 65 and older surpass the share that is younger than 15 by mid-century.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"dependents\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254227\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_4_youngOldUS\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_4_youngOldUS.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>Pressure on workers:<\/b>\u00a0As populations age, working-age people in the developed world may have to support more dependents, while workers in India and several major African nations will likely have to support fewer dependents.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254229\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_5_dependents\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_5_dependents.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>Population 2050: <\/b>The global population is expected to increase by 38%, from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 9.6 billion in 2050. The population of children younger than 15 is projected to\u00a0increase by only 10%, a consequence of falling birth rates.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_6_globalPopAge.png\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c5c6a3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c5c6a3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_6_globalPopAge.png?resize=480,300 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_6_globalPopAge.png?resize=640,400 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-27126 not-transparent\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_6_globalPopAge\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_6_globalPopAge.png\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>How big will the U.S. be?<\/b> The U.S. population is projected to grow by 89 million residents from 2010 to 2050. The U.S. is likely to grow faster than European and East Asian countries, but slower than Nigeria, which is expected to replace the U.S. as the world\u2019s third most populous country.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254230\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_7_US-Nigeria\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_7_US-Nigeria.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"africa\"><\/a>1<b>A population shift to Africa:<\/b> Africa\u2019s population is projected\u00a0to\u00a0increase the most and make up a greater share of the global population by 2050. The shares of Europe and Asia in the global population are expected to decrease, while the Americas will hold steady.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"india\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254231\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_8_popRegions\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_8_popRegions.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>India replaces China as the world&#8217;s most populous country:<\/b> India&#8217;s population is expected to increase by 400 million by 2050. Its projected population of 1.6 billion will be almost equal to the populations of the U.S. and China combined. China is projected\u00a0to\u00a0add only 25 million residents.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254232\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_9_popUS-China-India\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_9_popUS-China-India.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">1<b>Population losers: <\/b>The populations of<b> <\/b>Japan, Russia and Germany are expected to decrease by more than 10% by 2050. For Japan, this means a loss of 19 million residents; for Russia, 23 million; and for Germany, 10 million.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-254233\" alt=\"PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_10_negPop\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PG_14.01.29_agingFacts_10_negPop.png\" width=\"641\" height=\"401\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Read the full report:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2014\/01\/30\/attitudes-about-aging-a-global-perspective\/\">Attitudes about Aging: A Global Perspective<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The global population is graying and growing rapidly. How big &#8212; and how old &#8212; will it be by 2050?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[],"bylines":[986],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[525],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-14757","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","bylines-rakesh-kochhar","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-global"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":450,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2014\/02\/03\/10-projections-for-the-global-population-in-2050\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"10 projections for the global population in 2050","description":"The global population is graying and growing rapidly. 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