The Truth about Human Population Decline

In this presentation, political demographer Jennifer D. Sciubba tells a data-driven story about global population trends and some ways governments might plan for them. While the world’s total population continues to grow, the global fertility rate has been plummeting for decades, and this will make for a significant population decline by the next century. In many countries, the share of citizens over the age of 60 will increase from around 15% to over 30% within the next 100 years. Considering these demographic projections, Sciubba asks, “what possible worlds might we create if we thoughtfully planned for an older, smaller population?” She then moves to outline three possible scenarios in an attempt to dramatize a spectrum of possible outcomes we might move toward. As a pedagogical model to inspire student work, this presentation is interesting for the way it uses both historical data and future projections to underscore the long-term consequences of present-day decisions and policies concerning economic models, immigration reform, and social welfare programs.

Keywords:  Data Storytelling    Demography    Immigration    Persuading with Data  

MLA Citation: Sciubba, Jennifer D. ‘The Truth about Population Decline.’ TED Talk, 2023. https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_d_sciubba_the_truth_about_human_population_decline?subtitle=en&trigger=5s