George Friedman
Major news publications around the world are rife lately with articles noting how the decline in birth rates has reached a critical mass. Over the past years, life expectancy has increased – particularly in advanced industrial countries – just not enough to cover the shortfall of new humans. And though there are higher numbers of elderly virtually everywhere, the numbers don’t specifically account for those incapacitated, and thus rendered unproductive, by old age. Caring for the elderly will suck up a significant portion of the younger population’s time and energy unless a radical shift takes place in medicine.
I live in the United States, which has its own bespoke problems in this regard, and have written about this issue in several of my books. But this is a truly global phenomenon. In many countries, there will be fewer people to grow and produce food, nurse the infirm, teach school and do other uniquely human endeavors. As those demands remain steady and other needs increase, it will be more difficult to maintain social equilibrium – the result of which invariably is social and economic unrest.
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