The collection and analysis of of general characteristics about groups of people and populations.
This can be based upon:
Businesses often use demographic information to develop marketing strategies.
Governments use it to gain insight into their populations to aid in setting forth policy. It also can factor into the number of seats in Congress or Parliament that a particular area has.
There are many different methods in which demographic information can be acquired.
These can include survey, census information, analysis of enrollment or membership, and other data collecting activities.
Demographic information is not a single source database. Many factors go into the analysis. These are done by research institutions, companies, as well as governments.
There is much discussion about the demographic collapse that is slated to occur in many nations. Japan started this process in the early 1990s, resulting in the Lost Decade which went for 30 years. After a boost post-COVID, the country seems to be heading back toward the larger trend.
This is caused by the wholesale drop in fertility rates. Women are having less children in most nations. In the early 2010s, people still feared overpopulation. Today, discussions are mounting about the perils of underpopulation.
It is a situation that affects many things especially the economy. As people age, they no longer are able to fill the jobs. This means they are basically removed from the tax rolls. Governments depend upon this revenue to fund the safety net policies it put in place. Pensions are underfunded meaning more money is required to keep pace.
We can see how the numbers do not add up with a dwindling workforce.
Russia, South Korea, China, Spain, and Germany are a few of the countries that fact this crisis. China reported a population decline in 2022 of more than 800,000 people.
In these countries the demographics, at least in terms of age, is skewing towards the older end of the specturm.
