By Max Fisher
The Washington Post - July 16, 2013
The United Nations Population Division, which tracks demographic data
from around the world, has dramatically revised its projections for
what will happen in the next 90 years. The new statistics, based on
in-depth survey data from sub-Saharan Africa, tell the story of a world
poised to change drastically over the next several decades. Most rich
countries will shrink and age (with a couple of important exceptions),
poorer countries will expand rapidly and, maybe most significant of all,
Africa will see a population explosion nearly unprecedented in human
history.
If these numbers turn out to be right – they're just projections and
could change significantly under unforeseen circumstances – the world of
2100 will look very different than the world of today, with
implications for everyone. It will be a place where today's dominant,
developed economies are increasingly focused on supporting the elderly,
where the least developed countries are transformed by population booms
and where Africa, for better or worse, is more important than ever.
Here is the story of the next 90 years as predicted by UN demographic
data and explained in nine charts. The charts are interactive; move
your cursor over them to track and compare the data.
Read more...
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