In 17 years, for the first time in American history, the number of senior citizens in America will outnumber children. The Census Bureau projects that in 2035, there will be 78 million Americans over the age of 65 and just 76 million under 18.[1]
"This demographic transformation caused by a rapidly aging population is new for the United States but not for other countries." The Census release notes that "Japan has the world’s oldest population, where more than one in four people are at least 65 years old." Its population has already started to decline. "Europe is headed down the same demographic path." But, according to the Census Bureau, "America has been different, until now." The change results from Americans having fewer children than in earlier generations combined with a longer life expectancy.
The end result of this transformation is staggering. In 1960, there were more Americans under 4 than in any other age group. Generally, older ages boasted progressively smaller numbers leading to a small sliver over the age of 85. Following a century of change, however, the number of Americans in each age group will be much more equal.
Footnotes:
- Census Bureau, "The U.S. Joins Other Countries With Large Aging Populations," March 2018
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
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