Taking advantage of its growing working-age population could help accelerate South Africa’s growth to 5.4 percent a year and double per capita incomes by 2030, according to the South Africa Economic Update released by the World Bank today. The report explores how the projected growth can be attained by creating a virtuous circle of job … Continue reading
The latest demographic forecasts from the United Nations point to a new picture of our planet in 2050. According to The Economist: The number of people will grow from 7.3 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050, 100m more than was estimated in the UN’s last report two years ago. More than half of this growth comes from … Continue reading
If, as has been observed, demography is destiny, this will be the African century. By Antoinette M. Sayeh and Abebe Aemro Selassie Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa are on the cusp of a demographic transition—the years when the share of young and old in the population declines and those in working age range (15-64 years) increases. Elsewhere, … Continue reading
By Peter Drysdale Around a quarter of China’s remarkable economic growth over the past three decades or so was delivered by the dividend from its demographic structure, with a young population augmenting the workforce and lifting output in new jobs. A large proportion of the population were of working age; the proportion of the young … Continue reading
As families change and populations age, the elderly from across Asia and the Pacific risk being left behind in the region’s economic boom. In the People’s Republic of China, more than half the population lives in rural areas but only about 10 percent of these residents are covered by rural pension schemes, according to a … Continue reading