Population Boom

Population Boom

Shortage of jobs, decreased government aid for food, housing, and healthcare are phrases that describe the United States in 2050. According to The Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the population of the United States is estimated to increase from its current 297 million to 420 million by 2050. This is an increase of nearly 42%. This can be a positive step for our country. A larger work force and more labor can certainly stimulate the economy. This is especially true if the laborers are well trained, allowing for an increase in production (112). The problem with this scenario is that the majority of population increases come from lower income groups. These individuals already have a tough enough time getting any government assistance to help with healthcare, child care, and higher education that once you increase the number of individuals that need this assistance you decrease the amount that they can get. In turn, these children born of the population boom will most likely grow to have minimal education and few special skills. This incurs a vicious cycle that unfortunately is a reality even with today's population. This expected population boom is not necessarily due to natural born citizens having more children, it is also largely due to the amount of immigrants that the United States allows in.

Currently the United States admits 1.2 million immigrants annually. These individuals tend to be of child bearing age and they tend to have a higher birth rate than natural born citizens. Japan, who is not very open to immigration, will expect to see a decrease in their population within this time period. It is expected that Europe will also join Japan with a decrease in population growth. These countries that will experience a decline in population will have to depend on productivity growth, which is risky for mature economies (112). Countries with mature economies will not be the only ones affected by the population growth. Just like the United States, African nations and other poor countries will experience the majority of the growth. These countries that have weak economies will be worse off than the United States when it comes to accommodating the population surge, this is why it essential to bring poor countries into the world's economic mainstream(112).

I do think that population growth can be a positive step for our world and national economies.