The global economy is in a phase of churn and being closely watched and analyzed by economists and policymakers everywhere. There are, however, major demographic transitions that are also underway across countries – but mostly going unnoticed by analysts ranging from economy watchers to democracy-watchers. These silent transformations have the power to reshape societies and states. Ironically, of the four megatrends whose cascading effects are bringing about these transformations -demography, technology, economy and climate change3- the forecasts for demography are the most predictable. Shifting demographic trends are aggravating economic disparity within and between countries, straining governance and fuelling friction between states and people.
