Mapping The Countries with the Highest Shares of Young and Old People

Mapping The Countries with the Highest Shares of Young and Old People

The makeup of a country’s age demographics are determined by two key factors: fertility and mortality.

Historically, the world had both high birth and death rates. But today, in most parts of the world, women are having fewer children, and innovations in healthcare and technology mean we are all living longer.

Increased life expectancy is a defining signal of the modern era. The average person today lives to 72.6 years old, while the rate of births per woman has fallen to 2.5.

These trends have drastically altered the demographics of mature economies, resulting in a much older population. In many developing countries, however, births still outweigh deaths, resulting in a very young population.

This visualization uses data from the World Bank to examine the countries with the highest shares of old and young people.

First published: (link)

Source files included: .ai, .eps, .pdf

Data source: World Bank