Economist Podcasts Honey, we shrunk the kids: population fall
19 snips
Sep 16, 2025 
Carrie in Richmond-Jones, an international economics correspondent, and Henry Trix, the US technology editor, dive into the implications of declining global fertility rates. They discuss how this trend could reshape societies and economies without necessarily making us poorer. The conversation also touches on the biases in large language models and the worrying decline in reading habits, linking these changes to broader societal issues like literacy and political engagement. A thought-provoking exploration of our evolving world!
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Population Peak Could Come Much Sooner
- Global population is likely to peak sooner than the UN predicts, possibly around 2050, then begin a long decline.
- Shrinking populations reshape societies but need not cause economic collapse if other factors adjust.
Decline Lowers Interest Rates To Offset Debt Worries
- Fears about public debt under population decline overstate the problem because slower growth will likely coincide with lower interest rates.
- Lower returns from ageing savers can stabilise governments' debt-to-GDP ratios despite smaller populations.
Youth Spending Matches Retirement Costs
- Young people are expensive because extended education and delayed entry into work raise state costs per youth.
- Rich countries today spend about as much on under-25s as they do on retirees each year.
