Published: Sep 04, 2026, 18:50 IST | Updated: Sep 04, 2026, 18:50 IST
A historic tipping point — for the first time in recorded human history, people aged 65 and older now outnumber children aged 5 and under worldwide, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report. The cause: plunging fertility rates paired with people living longer. Over 71% of the world's population now lives in countries below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 births per woman, up sharply from just 45% a decade ago.