The Landscapes of Population Change: A Demographic World Tour

This book by Adele Hayutin provides a primer on the drivers of population change and takes the reader on a tour explaining how demographic trends will reshape the world in the twenty-first century. She explains how changing fertility rates, life expectancy, and international migration are altering the demographic weight of major powers and key regions. She also shows how the world is moving into uncharted territory: “Across the globe, some populations are starting to shrink, and others are growing explosively.” This will affect economic potential as the size of national work forces change in relative terms and military potential as competing demands alter allocation of state resources. She observes, “These demographic trends in population change and age structure have enormous implications for economic growth and stability, as well as for national power.” This book will help an aspiring strategist to frame a state’s ambitions, to avoid the risk of overreach if demographic trends are unfavorable or to diagnose coming demography-based vulnerabilities of opponents.