Global population will keep getting older, Census says

The number of people aged 65 and older in the U.S. will reach more than 89 million by 2050, more than double the 39 million today , the U.S. Census Bureau said in its latest population projections.

Now, less than 8 percent of the world’s population is 65 and older. That will increase to 12 percent in 2030 and 16 percent by 2050, according to census projections.

“This shift in the age structure of the world’s population poses challenges to society, families, businesses, health care providers and policymakers to meet the needs of aging individuals,” said Wan He, demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.

China and India will continue to be the world’s most populous countries by 2050, but India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2031, according to updated rankings.

Here’s a closer look at the U.S. projections:

Demographic Indicators 2050 1995 2005 2015 2025
Population
Midyear population (in thousands) 439,010 266,557 295,561 325,540 357,452
Growth rate (percent) 0.8 N/A 0.9 1.0 0.9
Fertility
Total fertility rate (births per woman) 2.0 N/A N/A 2.1 2.1
Crude birth rate (per 1,000 population) 13 N/A 14 14 13
Births (in thousands) 5,672 N/A 4,138 4,470 4,726
Mortality
Life expectancy at birth (years) 83 N/A N/A 79 80
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births) 4 N/A N/A 6 5
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1,000 births) 4 N/A N/A 7 5
Crude death rate (per 1,000 population) 10 N/A 8 8 9
Deaths (in thousands) 4,263 N/A 2,447 2,728 3,088
Migration
Net migration rate (per 1,000 population) 5 N/A 3 4 4
Net number of migrants (in thousands) 2,055 N/A 978 1,387 1,576

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base.

–Paul

Written by Paul Monies




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