Disruptive Demographics

A popular proverb says that life’s only certainties are death and taxes. But in the modern world, even death has become unreliable: People are living longer than in generations past. Four demographic trends foretell changes in “mobility” and “motility” – respectively, the ability and the drive to move about within communities and beyond:

1. An aging population – Life expectancy is increasing. Half of all children born in developed nations in 2007 will likely live beyond 100 years. An aging population affects the labor market, consumerism, and more. China is experiencing labor shortages. Mediterranean villages are emptying as the young scatter and birth rates decline...