Population levels across the world have reached a tipping point: The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2025, for the first time in human history, the share of adults age 65 and over outnumbered the share of children aged 5 and under.
Declining birth rates and an aging population present unique problems for individuals and governments: For individuals, it comes down to financing a longer life and potentially moving milestones as a result. For policymakers, it means budgeting services over a longer period, with demand levels increasing in the coming decades.
But despite policymakers and private-market voices raising the alarm over U.S. demographics, the U.S. will actually become relatively younger than the rest of the world over the next few decades.
The Census Bureau, in a report published last week, found that in 2025, the United States ranked as the 48th-oldest country out of 227 countries. By 2060, the U.S. will fall to 110th place because other regions are aging more rapidly.
