Destiny and Danger Where Demography Meets Finance
The impact of a population stretching the limits of longevity, combined with a falling birth rate, will increasingly be felt in the global economy.
If global birth rates keep declining at 3% per annum, the economy will change radically over time.
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“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life — longevity has its place,” said Martin Luther King Jr. in the last speech he would ever give. “But I'm not concerned about that now.” That was one of history’s greatest and most prophetic orations. In the 56 years since, humanity has moved on. People still want to live a longer life, they are increasingly having their wish, and they’re able to deploy money to make it happen. But while longevity continues to lengthen, day-to-day most people don’t seem so concerned about it.