In 2026 Countries from China to Germany to Japan to Russia are on track to lose an enormous number of workers. China alone is to lose ~8,000,000 annually (or well over than the entire population of Singapore). This situation will only worsen in the years ahead.
Yet this is not translating into more jobs for Chinese youth due to a structural mismatch as record numbers of university graduates (more than 10 million in 2025!)seek white collar roles but huge numbers of retirements just see more manufacturing or service jobs become available.
Yet this is not translating into more jobs for Chinese youth due to a structural mismatch as record numbers of university graduates (more than 10 million in 2025!)seek white collar roles but huge numbers of retirements just see more manufacturing or service jobs become available.
๐ค32๐ข14๐7๐ฅ2๐คจ2๐ฉ1
U.S. may enter natural decline as early as 2030. If fertility rate remains stuck btwn 1.5-1.6(as seems likely as African American TFR will continue to plummet, Asian to stay low,& Hispanic to fall) natural change could hit a record low of approximately -392,000 annually by 2049.
This is despite a possible increase in White TFR to as high as 1.8. By 2050 Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, & all other ultra high fertility Non Hispanic White groups in the U.S. will make up 3%+ of NHW births. In addition, โconservativeโ NHW TFR may be as high as 2.0-2.4.
TFR of โliberalโ NHWs may stay as low as 0.90-1.3 range. Hispanic, Black, Asian, & Native Americans have no ultra high fertility โbreeder cultsโ so their headline TFR may not recover dramatically even under long time horizons. Best US may see is Czechia style 2019-21 rebound.
This is despite a possible increase in White TFR to as high as 1.8. By 2050 Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, & all other ultra high fertility Non Hispanic White groups in the U.S. will make up 3%+ of NHW births. In addition, โconservativeโ NHW TFR may be as high as 2.0-2.4.
TFR of โliberalโ NHWs may stay as low as 0.90-1.3 range. Hispanic, Black, Asian, & Native Americans have no ultra high fertility โbreeder cultsโ so their headline TFR may not recover dramatically even under long time horizons. Best US may see is Czechia style 2019-21 rebound.
๐51โค13๐7๐4๐คฃ4๐ฅ2๐คทโโ1๐1๐คก1
The existential demographic disaster for Ukraine from the war is not the loss of so many men, it is that ~56% of Ukrainian refugees currently abroad are under the age of 35. This includes 1,798,900 children who have now spent four years integrating into foreign education systems.
Worth noting that (while far less extreme) Belarus is also seeing massive levels of emigration of working aged young people & Russia saw the wartime flight of 800,000 predominantly young men, mostly during 2022.
Source: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/more-third-ukraines-children-remain-displaced-four-years-war-unicef
Worth noting that (while far less extreme) Belarus is also seeing massive levels of emigration of working aged young people & Russia saw the wartime flight of 800,000 predominantly young men, mostly during 2022.
Source: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/more-third-ukraines-children-remain-displaced-four-years-war-unicef
UNICEF
More than a third of Ukraineโs children remain displaced four years into war โ UNICEF
GENEVA/KYIV, 17 February 2026 โ More than a third of Ukraineโs children โ 2,589,900 โ remain displaced as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year. This includes more than 791,000 children inside Ukraine and nearly 1,798,900 children living as refugees outsideโฆ
๐ข39๐14๐4โค2๐ฅ2๐คฃ2๐2๐คจ2๐ค1
Taiwanโs 2025 0.695 fertility rate is roughly 17% lower than the government's most pessimistic "worst-case"scenario of 0.84 released only two years ago. & whatโs worse is births are down a further 18% in first quarter of 2026 so TFR could go below 0.60!
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2026/04/06/2003855093
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2026/04/06/2003855093
TAIPEI TIMES
NDC report to forecast rapid population drop, sources say
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
๐ฑ36๐12๐ข4๐ฅฐ3๐2๐2๐คฉ2๐
2โค1
Africa is the only major area of the world above replacement, and not for that much longer either. Oceania is at replacement due to Papua New Guinea having a fertility rate of 3.22 as the other large countries there (Australia & New Zealand) are far below.
๐คฎ35๐ฅ16๐ค9๐จโ๐ป5๐ฉ4๐ญ4๐3โค2๐1๐1๐1
Deep population decline is right around the corner for China (10,000,000 plus annual decline in 2030s),Thailand (2040s), South Korea (late 2030s-2040s), Taiwan (2040s), Thailand (2040s),& much of Europe (2030s & 2040s). This will transform cities, towns, & rural areas worldwide.
๐ญ35๐ฅ18โค3๐3โ2๐2๐1
TFR of ethnic Chinese majority of Singapore now roughly equal to the catastrophic Taiwanese fertility rate. Q1 2026 ethnic Chinese Singaporean TFR on 0.64 against ~0.65 for Taiwan.
https://x.com/birthgauge/status/2051975072429043809
https://x.com/birthgauge/status/2051975072429043809
X (formerly Twitter)
Birth Gauge (@BirthGauge) on X
Singapore reported 12.5% fewer births in Q1 2026 than in 2025. As part of Q1 2025 was still in the year of the dragon, this decline will even out a bit over 2026. The TFR will likely end up at 0.82 (0.87 in 2025). TFRs by ethnicity (2025 in brackets):
Chineseโฆ
Chineseโฆ
๐จ36๐ฅ10๐7๐ค4โ2๐ฅฐ1๐คฏ1๐จโ๐ป1
The low fertility rate of Sikhs in India (~1.55) is putting the Sikh majority in the only Sikh State in the country, Punjab, in doubt. In fact, if current trends continue Punjab will be only ~42.5% Sikh and 47.5% Hindu by 2050.
๐40๐ฅ14๐ฉ8๐คท7โค5๐4โ1๐1๐ฅฑ1
By 2050 our planet of by then ~9.5 billion will be aged & on the cusp of global population decline. By the half century mark Europe & North America will be heavily aged,& Asia, Latam & Oceania wonโt be far behind. Only Africa will see less than 18% of their population being 65+.
It wonโt be 5.84% but closer to 9% in all likelihood as TFR will drop faster than this predicts but it will be the only region have less than 10% of the population be 65+.
It wonโt be 5.84% but closer to 9% in all likelihood as TFR will drop faster than this predicts but it will be the only region have less than 10% of the population be 65+.
๐ฅ23โ15๐5๐คฏ3โค2๐1๐1
30-40% of all Ukrainian women of prime child bearing age (so ~2,900,000 total) are currently living outside Ukraine as of 2026. This is in addition to up to 40% of Ukraineโs โlast chance cohortโ born 2008-2013 living abroad as well. A perfect storm.
https://sceeus.se/publikationer/ukraines-alarming-demographics/
https://sceeus.se/publikationer/ukraines-alarming-demographics/
Sceeus
Ukraineโs Alarming Demographics - SCEEUS
SCEEUS Guest Report | Ukraine's Alarming Demographics by Michael Emerson | SCEEUS, Centrum fรถr รsteuropastudier
๐ข41๐17๐4๐ฅฐ2๐คฎ2๐ญ2๐ฏ1๐พ1๐ป1
If population of government controlled Ukraine is really below 25 million & not~29 million as thought then the TFR of women inside Ukraine is far higher than 0.77, which is based on higher population assumption. Still really bad but not Taiwanese or Thai or Singaporean levels.
But if Uliutinโs estimates are anywhere near correct (I have serious doubts about his 22-25 million low claims) then donโt see Ukraine ever bouncing back in a meaningful way. Will be very hard to coax even 30-45% of Ukrainians outside the country back postwar.
With annual deaths in the country close to 500,000 annually, Ukraine cannot afford this. Many polls show no more than 43% of Ukrainians outside the country plan to return and this may be overstating things. Also many of those who returned so far have been age 45 plus.
If even half of the men currently not allowed to leave Ukraine migrate to join their wives and children abroad postwar the country could lose at least another 250,000 working age people. With reconstruction labor needs above 1,000,000 people this would be a true disaster.
https://x.com/leonidragozin/status/2053411797693092305
But if Uliutinโs estimates are anywhere near correct (I have serious doubts about his 22-25 million low claims) then donโt see Ukraine ever bouncing back in a meaningful way. Will be very hard to coax even 30-45% of Ukrainians outside the country back postwar.
With annual deaths in the country close to 500,000 annually, Ukraine cannot afford this. Many polls show no more than 43% of Ukrainians outside the country plan to return and this may be overstating things. Also many of those who returned so far have been age 45 plus.
If even half of the men currently not allowed to leave Ukraine migrate to join their wives and children abroad postwar the country could lose at least another 250,000 working age people. With reconstruction labor needs above 1,000,000 people this would be a true disaster.
https://x.com/leonidragozin/status/2053411797693092305
X (formerly Twitter)
Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) on X
Ukraineโs deputy minister of social policy Denys Uliutin says the population of Ukraine-controlled territory is currently below 25 million, compared with 48 million in the 2001 nationwide census. He believes only two million will return when the war is over.โฆ
๐ข31๐14โ7๐4๐3๐2๐ฅฐ2๐ฅ1๐คฌ1๐ฅด1๐พ1
Chinaโs senior population reached 15% in 2024 and is projected to climb to 22.8% by 2035. A demographic shift occurring twice as fast as it did in Western Europe. Also by 2035 South Koreaโs population will be almost 30% age 65 or better (a massive jump from sub 20% today).
๐22๐ข7๐ฏ7๐4๐ฅ4๐ค1๐ฑ1
At the intersection of American demographics & politics, we see the internal conflict within the GOP between MAGA & America First. MAGA is largely backed by boomers & Xers with AF backed by Millennials & Zoomers. Thus currently MAGA has upper hand but this could shift quickly.
The Democrats face the exact same generational time bomb. Corporate Democrats backed by lobby groups & those in the electorate aged 50+ are still managing to see off young more left wing upstarts in most primaries. But this may not last much longer.
The Democrats face the exact same generational time bomb. Corporate Democrats backed by lobby groups & those in the electorate aged 50+ are still managing to see off young more left wing upstarts in most primaries. But this may not last much longer.
๐จโ๐ป23๐8๐5๐ฏ5โ2๐ญ2๐ฅ1๐ค1๐1