Aging and sub-replacement fertility

Tracking birth rates, age structure shifts, migration offsets, and labor market consequences of demographic decline. Most recent data from today.

Key Insight

The U.S.

Generated by Claude on Apr 15, 2026
Exclude COVID

Age Structure

U.S. Total Population

Absolute population level — the bottom line of births, deaths, and migration.

▲ +0.7% YoY

340.1T

Trend YoY growth is +0.7%, slowing by 1 bps/year over the last 63Y. Latest: +1.0%, 28 bps above trend, a 1.4σ deviation.

Level

YoY %

y = 1.3% 1 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Population Ages 65+ (% of Total)

Cleanest headline aging metric — share of the population that is elderly.

▲ +0.3% YoY

17.9%

Trend YoY growth is +0.3%, accelerating by 39 bps/year over the last 63Y. Deviations have remained above trend for 14 consecutive periods. Latest: +0.5%, 23 bps above trend, a 1.7σ deviation.

Level

YoY Change (bps)

y = 0.0% + 0 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Old-Age Dependency Ratio

Best single metric for economic burden — ratio of 65+ population to working-age (15–64).

▲ +0.5% YoY

27.7%

Trend YoY growth is +0.5%, accelerating by 82 bps/year over the last 63Y. Deviations have remained above trend for 14 consecutive periods. Latest: +0.9%, 40 bps above trend, a 1.7σ deviation.

Level

YoY Change (bps)

y = −0.1% + 1 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Births & Fertility

Total Fertility Rate

Core measure of replacement shortfall — 2.1 is the replacement level for developed countries.

▲ +0.0% YoY

1.63births/woman

Trend YoY growth is +0.0%, accelerating by 0 bps/year over the last 63Y. Deviations have remained below trend for 5 consecutive periods. Latest: +0.0%, 1 bps below trend, a 0.23σ deviation.

Level

Change (pp)

y = −0.1% + 0 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Crude Birth Rate

Direct read on how many births are occurring at the population level per 1,000 people.

▼ -0.0% YoY

10.60per 1,000

Trend YoY growth is -0.0%, accelerating by 1 bps/year over the last 63Y. Latest: -0.1%, 8 bps below trend, a 0.29σ deviation.

Level

Change (pp)

y = −0.4% + 1 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Life Expectancy at Birth

Rising longevity compounds the aging problem — more years in retirement per person.

▲ +0.1% YoY

78.89years

Trend YoY growth is +0.1%, slowing by 0 bps/year over the last 63Y. Latest: +0.5%, 42 bps above trend, a 0.95σ deviation. The latest YoY reading is depressed by 87 bps due to an tough comparison base from Jan '23.

Level

Change (pp)

y = 0.2% 0 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Labor & Economic

Labor Force Participation Rate, 55+

Whether economies are offsetting aging by extending working lives — key to fiscal sustainability.

▲ +0.3% YoY

37.2%

Trend YoY growth is +0.3%, accelerating by 1.0 pp/year over the last 65Y. Deviations have remained below trend for 36 consecutive periods. Latest: -0.9%, 1.2 pp below trend, a 2.6σ deviation. The latest YoY reading is boosted by 68 bps due to an easy comparison base from Mar '25.

Level

YoY Change (bps)

y = −0.4% + 1 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Employment Rate, 55–64

Tracks how much the near-retirement cohort remains economically active as populations age.

▲ +0.4% YoY

64.4%

Trend YoY growth is +0.4%, accelerating by 80 bps/year over the last 48Y. Latest: +0.1%, 26 bps below trend, a 0.18σ deviation. The latest YoY reading is boosted by 79 bps due to an easy comparison base from Sep '24.

Level

YoY Change (bps)

y = 0.0% + 1 bps/yr · t

Deviation from trend

Health Care ETF (XLV)

Market signal on healthcare demand — aging populations drive structural growth in medical spending.

▲ +4.3% YoY

$146.3

Trend YoY growth is +4.3%, slowing by 1.3 pp/year over the last 9Y. Latest: +10.3%, 6.0 pp above trend, a 1.3σ deviation. The latest YoY reading is boosted by 9.0 pp due to an easy comparison base from Apr '25.

Level

YoY %

y = 16.2% 1.3 pp/yr · t

Deviation from trend