Tags:
Journalism of Courage
YOUNG INDIA
In India, the population in the 15-24 age group has grown from 175 million in 1995 to 210 million in 2005. India is expected to reap the benefits of its comparatively young workforce, through what is being called its 8216;demographic dividend8217;.
AGEING FAST
The world8217;s population is estimated to be approximately 6,555 million mid-2006 figures, of which around 7 per cent are in the 65 age group. Significantly, the developed countries have about 15 per cent of their population in the 65 group. But the numbers in Africa and Asia are, tellingly, low.
North America 12
Europe 15
Africa 3
Asia 6
India 4
China 8
TOTAL FERTILITY RATE
The global Total Fertility Rate varies significantly between developing and developed countries
Nigeria 2.7
Argentina 2.4
Brazil 2.3
India 2.9
Western Europe 1.6
US 2
Children per woman
Interestingly, the TFR of countries in the Middle East and North Africa MENA is also on the decline thanks to changes in marriage and childbearing practices.
Courtesy: Population Reference Bureau
IMF8217;S CONCLUSIONS
The International Monetary Fund, in its World Economic Outlook 2004, predicted that the global population growth will continue to slow and the populations continue to age. IMF also anticipates a significant decline in the working population in Russia and China, while steady increases are expected in India and Nigeria.
The obvious financial implication is the need to support an increasing number of retirees and the cost of healthcare, while a shrinking workforce poses serious questions about employment, especially in agriculture.
