1 Big Thing: The Global Fear of Too Few Young People

Rapidly aging populations has emerged as a new concern among policymakers across the developed world, reports Axios . Population growth is not only key to maintaining demand for housing and filling jobs yet to be automated, but also paying into pension systems pressed by demographic realities and slowing economic growth. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development secretary-general Angel Gurria remarks, "You basically have a very large portion of mankind that is aging and then the workforce is shrinking. But I would say the G20 in particular are aging faster." Some nations — such as the United States — are feeling these issues less thanks to immigration. Such others as China and Japan are more restrictive and are beginning to "feel the bite" in projected growth.