The Graying of the Great Powers

Demography and Geopolitics in the 21st Century

The Graying of the Great Powers: Demography and Geopolitics in the 21st Century, a publication of the CSIS Global Aging Initiative, explores how population aging and population decline will constrain the ability of the United States and other developed countries to maintain national and global security over the next few decades. It also examines the security implications of emerging demographic trends in different regions of the developing world. While some political scientists and security experts argue that the forces of demography are pushing the world toward greater peace and stability, this study concludes that they pose growing security threats—and that the period of greatest danger lies just over the horizon in the 2020s.

Major Findings of The Graying of the Great Powers (PDF)

Neil Howe

Richard Jackson

Keisuke Nakashima

Rebecca Strauss