London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

World population set to shrink rapidly triggering ‘radical power shift’, warns new bombshell report

World population set to shrink rapidly triggering ‘radical power shift’, warns new bombshell report

While predictions of a potentially catastrophic population explosion have abounded for years, new research suggests a major impending contraction by 2100, at which point the elderly will outnumber the young.

The Lancet has just published its ‘Global Burden of Disease Study’ which cites an accelerated decline in fertility rates across the developed world in coming decades. The report predicts that the world population will peak in 2064 at 9.7 billion people, before dropping precipitously to 8.8 billion by 2100.

According to the researchers, the elderly will account for a larger percentage of the global population, with octogenarians projected to outnumber toddlers under five by two-to-one by the turn of the next century.

The populations of some 23 countries including Japan, Thailand, Italy, and Spain could contract by at least 50 percent, while 183 of 195 countries included in the research would have fertility rates below the replacement level of 2.1 births.

On the one hand, China and 34 other countries are expected to witness a population decline of over 25 percent, but on the other, both Latvia and El Salvador will experience population declines of over 75 percent.

The report cites contraception access and improved education of girls and women as the primary catalysts which will “hasten declines in fertility and slow population growth.”

“Continued global population growth through the century is no longer the most likely trajectory for the world’s population,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, who led the study, adding that governments around the world need to “start rethinking their policies on migration, work forces and economic development.”

The report envisages major declines in the working-age populations in China and India, emerging economic powers at present that would likely fade in influence were this demographic shift to play out as predicted. The US could re-emerge as a world-leading economic power by 2098 after a dip in both population and economic influence.

The study suggested liberal immigration policies as a means to mitigate population decline and bolster economic growth, especially for industrialized countries like the US, Australia, and Canada.

Meanwhile, sub-Saharan Africa will likely experience up to a three-fold population explosion, due to a combined drop in death rates and concurrent increase in the number of women reaching child-bearing age. According to the study’s authors, Niger could see 765 percent growth, Chad 710 percent growth, South Sudan 594 percent, and Mali 321 percent.


For this reason, Africa would likely overshadow Asia as the world’s most-populated region by the turn of the next century.

The study also predicts the emergence of a far more multipolar world with India and Nigeria expected to join the US and China as the dominant global powers, while more African and Arab countries would take the reins as global economic leaders.

“It offers a vision for radical shifts in geopolitical power, challenges myths about immigration, and underlines the importance of protecting and strengthening the sexual and reproductive rights of women. The 21st century will see a revolution in the story of our human civilisation,” Dr. Richard Horton, editor in chief of the Lancet, said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×