According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the year 2030 marks an important demographic turning point in U.S. history. That year, all baby boomers will be 65 or older. Here are highlights of the shifts this demographic change implies.
- 65+ composition – Older Americans will outnumber children for the first time in history by 2030, according to U.S. census data. The 65 and older population will represent 20% of the total population that year, or one of every five residents. A few years later, in 2034, people ages 65 and older will number 77 million compared to 76.5 million of those under the age of 18.
- 2050 forecast – According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 65+ population will nearly double in size to 84 million by 2050, up from 43 million in 2012. The United Nations predicts that worldwide the number of people 60+ will grow from 962 million in 2017 to nearly 2.1 billion by 2050. The baby boomers are largely responsible for this increase, as they began turning 65 in 2011. By 2050, all surviving baby boomers will be over the age of 85. That year, the U.S. population is predicted to have grown to 400 million from 331 million in 2021.
- Life expectancy – Today, more than half a 1900-era lifetime has been added to the average lifespan. Around 1900, the average life expectancy was 49 years. Today, a typical U.S. adult lives to 79, an increase of 30 years.
These forecasts point to a sea-change shift in the makeup and outlook of America’s Baby Boomer generation, pointing to major challenges and opportunities by 2030.
Photograph by Edu Carvalho, Pexels.
