Global Future Workforce

National disparities in birth rates are driving changes in global dynamics. Half of the world's population lives in countries with fertility rates below the "replacement rate" of 2.1 births per woman. A 2024 study predicts that by 2050, 76 percent of countries will have fertility rates below the replacement rate; by 2100, this percentage will increase to 97 percent, with more than half of all births occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus far, policies in Japan and other countries to boost fertility have not seen much success.

Global demographic centers are already shifting rapidly, with younger and working-age populations increasingly concentrated in Africa and South Asia. This shift is poised to impact the global power dynamic, as these regions become home to a significant portion of the world's most productive labor force. Appropriate immigration policies will be crucial to secure a stable labor market.