Demography Is Coming for Us, Too
As China has discovered, the tides of population growth and loss are inexorable. But that doesn’t mean other countries can’t adapt and turn demography to their advantage.
Too few, too late, for China
Photographer: Kevin Lee/Hulton ArchiveThis article is for subscribers only.
Amazed that China is shrinking? You ain’t seen nothing yet. Demographic forces are reorganizing the world; changing the balance of power; complicating the path to prosperity. They are reshaping everything.
Wolf warriors aside, China is going to lose a lot of clout. India is already its equal by population. By the end of the century it will be twice as big. Though India is still poorer, the income gap is closing. It will shrink further as China grows older, the working-age share of its population shrivels and its economy slows.