Designing for the Life Span Segment 2
Designing for the Life Span Segment 2 
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[D]
Regardless of surges in the birth rate, the human species will continually grow older well into the 21st Century.
| Year | Population over 65 | Percent of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 10 to 17 million | 1% of Total Population |
| 1992 | 342 million | 6.2% of Total Population |
| 2050 | 2.5 billion | 20% of Total Population |
from: "The Aging of the Human Species," in, Scientific American, Olshansky, Carnes and Cassel, April, 1993.
Note: As the world turns toward the year 2000, there are nearly 6,000,000,000 people on the surface of the earth- increasing at a rate of 7,000,000 per month.
from: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstracts, 1994.
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Clearly, the human specie has changed in its composition profoundly and that change will affect all aspects of American society and its economy. The 20th century was the 100 years in time where that change occurred. The 21st century will be that time when the impact of that change will be felt.
It is likely that the older adults will alter the focus of the economy, dampening enthusiasm for youth culture as a mainstay of consumerism. There are likely to be profound political consequences with issues such as social security and health care taking on much more importance in the direction and outcome of state and national politics - and elections.
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