demographics

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Births Hit a Record Low in Japan, Deaths a Record High

Population falls for a 15th year in a row

(Newser) - Japan's total population marked the 15th straight year of decline, according to government data released Wednesday, dropping by more than a half-million people as the population ages and births remain low. Births in Japan hit a record low of 730,000 last year. The 1.58 million deaths last...

Diaper Maker Won't Make Them for Japan's Babies Anymore

Manufacturer to switch to making diapers for adults, citing low demand for infant version

(Newser) - With births at a record low for modern times in Japan, a diaper manufacturer will transition from producing diapers for little ones to those for adults. Call it a late response to the market: Japan's elderly have used more diapers than the nation's infants for more than a...

US Marriages Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels
US Marriages Have
Made a Rebound
Mar 15, 2024 12:21 PM CDT

US Marriages Have Made a Rebound

COVID took a toll on nuptials

(Newser) - US marriages have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels with nearly 2.1 million in 2022, a 4% increase from the year before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the data Friday, but has not released marriage data for last year.
  • In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic,
...

Men Outnumber Women, but Only on One Coast

There are more guys in large urban counties in the West, but it's vice versa in the East

(Newser) - Anyone who suspects there are more women than men where they live, or vice versa, will find fodder for their suspicions in new data from the US Census Bureau. Whether it refutes or confirms their suspicions likely depends on where they live.
  • Women outnumber men in the largest urban counties
...

Japan Hits a Gray Milestone
Japan Hits a
Gray Milestone
Sep 19, 2023 1:30 PM CDT

Japan Hits a Gray Milestone

Nation clocks in with more than 10% of population over age 80 for first time

(Newser) - It is very, very common knowledge that the median age of Japan's population is, well, not associated with the term "spring chicken." With what the BBC reports is the planet's oldest population—the yardstick there being the percentage of people 65 or older, of which Japan...

America Is Aging Quickly
America
Is Aging
Quickly
May 28, 2023 5:15 PM CDT

America Is Aging Quickly

Share of people 65 and older surges, while the share of children declines

(Newser) - The United States grew older, faster, last decade. The share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020 and at the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years, while the share of children declined, according to new figures from the most recent...

China Sees a Startling Demographic Milestone

Population shrinks for the first time in 60 years as young people balk at having children

(Newser) - Abandoning its one-child policy and offering incentives for couples to have children wasn't enough to prevent China's population from shrinking, as it has now done for the first time in 60 years. The government said Tuesday that 10.41 million people died in 2022, while just 9.56...

In Northern Ireland, a Big Religious Shift

There are now more Catholics in Northern Ireland than Protestants, which could affect future politics

(Newser) - Ten years ago, the national census revealed that Protestants still had the numbers over Catholics in Northern Ireland, though the gap was a slim one: 48% to 45%, respectively. Now, that ranking has flipped, per the 2021 demographics poll released Thursday. While the percentage of those who are Catholic (or...

A Demographic Shift Underway for Black Americans

The AP explores a movement from bigger cities to smaller ones

(Newser) - Brandon Manning and his wife were both born in the South and had been itching to return, but Manning didn't want to go back to his native Atlanta because of the traffic, housing costs, and sprawl. So, when he was offered a job teaching at Texas Christian University in...

This May Be a Demographic 'Shock' to Boomers

Those under age 40 now outnumber their older generations

(Newser) - Sorry, boomers. Millennials and their younger siblings and children now make up a majority of the US population, per the AP . A new analysis by the Brookings Institution shows that 50.7% of US residents were under age 40, as of July 2019. Brookings' analysis of population estimates released this...

New Stat Hints at a 'Demographic Time Bomb'
New Stat Hints at
a 'Demographic
Time Bomb'
THE RUNDOWN
Jan 17, 2020 9:42 AM CST

New Stat Hints at a 'Demographic Time Bomb'

Low birth rate, low death rate in China has researchers, economists there worried

(Newser) - There's a "looming crisis" brewing in China, one the New York Times says could eventually have a "seismic effect." Per the country's National Bureau of Statistics, about 14.6 million babies were born there last year, an almost 4% drop from 2018. It's the...

A Big Demographic Shift Is Underway in the US

As cities fill up, suburbs are once again the fastest-growing areas

(Newser) - The broad strokes of American demographics: People left big cities in droves for the suburbs after World War II, but then the 'burbs grew out of fashion as people, especially young ones, flocked back to urban areas in more recent years. Now, as the Wall Street Journal points out,...

China's 'More Children' Policy Has Failed

But some couples are still being fined

(Newser) - Facing a future demographic crisis and aging society, China's leaders are desperately seeking to persuade couples to have more children. In 1980 the notorious "one-child policy" came into effect, mandating often brutal punishments for violators ranging from forced abortions and sterilizations to fines and demotions. Fast-forward 35 years,...

Japan's New Population Numbers Are Historic

Fewest babies born since records began in 1899

(Newser) - Japanese leaders are worried about the nation's demographics , and new population figures help explain why:
  • Fewest births: The number of babies born in 2018 is estimated at 921,000, the lowest figure since record-keeping began in 1899, reports the Japan Times . That's down 25,000 from the previous
...

Fastest-Shrinking Nations Are All in One Part of World

Eastern Europe, with Bulgaria in the No. 1 spot

(Newser) - The number of people living in Bulgaria is expected to drop by nearly a quarter by the year 2050—and its neighbors aren't going to fare much better demographically, per UN population projections cited by Quartz . Over the next 30-plus years, Bulgaria will see its population fall from around...

For First Time, Sweden Has More Men Than Women

Some worry this could set women's rights back if trend continues as expected

(Newser) - Sweden is dealing with a surprise surplus of something it didn't quite expect: men. Per the AP , the Scandinavian country of 10 million now has more males than females for the first time since they started tracking such things in the mid-1700s, and this guy growth has been booming...

'Unprecedented' Demographic Shift Is Coming

The old will soon outnumber the young

(Newser) - In just a few years, people 65 and older around the world will begin to outnumber kids under the age of 5—"a mind-blowing demographic situation that will be a first in human history," Business Insider reports. That's the finding of a recently released US Census Bureau...

Going Home for the Holidays Is Only an 18-Mile Drive

Most US adults live surprisingly close to their parents

(Newser) - This is the time of year when people all around the country pack up their bags and head to the airport to visit family. Or at least that's the visual we all have. In reality, only 20% of adults in the US live more than a few hours' drive...

Empire Falls: Florida Now More Populous Than NY

New Yorkers can now chant 'We're No. 4! We're No. 4!'

(Newser) - The state known as America's Waiting Room is moving up in the ranks: According to Census data, Florida has officially deposed New York to become the third most populous state in the union, reports the Washington Post . The Sunshine State is now home to 19.9 million residents, compared...

White Students Now a Minority in Public Schools

Demographic shift raises big issues for school systems

(Newser) - American public schools will pass a watershed this fall: For the first time, there will be more minority students than non-Hispanic whites, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The shift comes even as schools become more racially segregated, and leaves school systems facing issues such as integration and...

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