Signal A quarter of humanity already lives in shrinking countries

Summary

As of 2024, about a quarter of the world's population already lived in countries whose populations had begun to decline, according to UN data cited in the article. Two thirds of the world's people live in countries where fertility has fallen below the replacement level. Over the past 25 years fertility has declined in 90 percent of the world's countries, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. The author argues that population decline is therefore no longer a simple social problem affecting only labor markets and growth. It could become a major threat to national security and a trigger for wide social and economic repercussions. The article uses these figures to open an analysis of structural change, its consequences and possible responses, including implications for Korea.