Population trends: Shifting Demographics

Picture source: www.visualizing.org

BY: FARIBORZ GHADAR AND KATHLEEN LOUGHRAN

INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT – JULY/AGUSTUS 2014

Albeit the population worldwide is increasing, the overall population growth rate is actually decreasing. The increment of population is not happening evenly across the globe, which will create significant future challenges. Population held the fourth position after biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information technology. By august 2013 up to 2050, the United Nations’ predicted that eventhough the increment was significant, the overall rate of global population growth is decreasing and stabilize afterwards.

According to Population Reference Bureau, 97 percent of the most recent surge in population growth has happened in developing countries. Asia is forecasted to remain the most populous area in the world, when currently it hosts more than half of world’s people. And the important thing to note is that the growth will be determined by India and China. The irony is the fact that our population is growing most quickly in areas that least capable of supporting such growth.

Unlike the developing countries, the developed ones will encounter different condition. Many developed countries will face stagnant population growth. Current trends indicate that the absorption rate of immigrants into developed economies will be lower than the population growth rate in their origin developing countries. Another consideration is that age clusters are given different treatment to predict the future population growth.