What Will the World Look Like in 2100

Over nearly seven decades, the worldwide median age has jumped from just 24 years old in 1950 to 31 years, increasing nearly a year each decade. Over the next eight decades, the UN projects that the median age will climb at an even higher rate, reaching 42 by 2100, according to UN forecasts.

Currently, North America currently holds the highest median age of any region in the world, though Latin America is forecasted to become older than all regions, hitting a median age of 49, a jump from 20th-century trends that made the region among the youngest in the world. Africa is the only region that is expected to have a climbing birth rate throughout the better part of this century driving down the median age of the continent when compared to other regions.

Declining birth rates and changing demographics pose serious issues for governments. Pension and health care programs rest on working-age people supporting the elderly. Beyond that, jobs need to be filled for economic growth to continue.