Having just returned from my latest business trip to Dubai, I have to report that confidence in general remains very subdued. For sheer tragic parade-raining, bubble-bursting symbolism, you can’t beat the Burj Khalifa tower (renamed at the last minute to appease the neighbours and then closed soon after opening for ‘technical reasons’ – for three… [Read more]

The US Census Bureau on Tuesday released its latest population projections for 227 countries and territories, but what is grabbing the most attention are their figures for China and India (click here for press release). In particular, the Bureau sees China’s population shrinking from 2026, a year after which they expect India to become the… [Read more]

The idea that ‘demography is destiny’ is used a lot by economists to justify upbeat economic growth forecasts for a number of emerging nations, and pessimistic outlooks for several developed states. My colleagues and I at Business Monitor International (BMI) certainly keep demographic projections in mind when looking at long-term forecasts. Usefully, the UN World… [Read more]

Most governments around the world seek to maximise economic growth so that their countries can achieve a higher level of development and their citizens can become wealthier. At the same time, they must be mindful that growth does not bring with it inflation. However there is a major exception to these axioms: Japan. While Japan… [Read more]

Britain’s population is projected to be the biggest in the European Union by 2060, according to a new report by Eurostat published on August 26. The UK’s population will rise by 25% from 61.3mn to 76.7mn, while Germany’s will shrink from 82.2mn to 70.8mn. France’s population will also overtake Germany’s, rising from 61.9mn to 71.8mn…. [Read more]

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) recently unveiled a bold proposal to take in 10 million immigrants between now and 2050, so that they will constitute 10% of the national population by that date. The idea is to make Japan a multi-ethnic society, and infuse the labour force with young people to offset the country’s… [Read more]