Month: January 2013

FT: China’s Working-Age Population Is Shrinking

Editors

JOHN MORGAN writes in MONEYNEWS:

China’s working-age population actually declined in 2012, a trend that concerns the government and that could have a serious longer-term impact on the world’s second largest economy, according to the Financial Times.

China’s population aged 15 to 59 was estimated at 937.27 million at the end of December — a drop of 3.45 million from 2011.

Ma Jiantang, head of China’s National Bureau of Statistics, called the drop “worrying.”

While the decline was less than 1 percent, it reversed a long history of growth, thus is being treated as profound for the nation, the Times reported.

“In 2012 for the first time we saw a drop in the population of people of working age. … We should pay great attention to this fact,” Ma said.

READ MORE.

USA: Proposal for Social Security Reform and Medicare Modernization

Editors

The BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE, an association of CEO’s of leading US companies released proposals to reform Social Security and Medicare.  Among its recommendations  are an increase of the Social Security retirement age from 67 to 70 and means-testing of Social Security and Medicare benefits.  FULL REPORT.

GCC population to soar by 30% by 2020

Editors

GCC countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

SHEHAB AL MAKAHLEH writes in GULF NEWS (via Zawya.com):

Abu Dhabi: The GCC population will soar by 30 per cent to 53.5 million people who will form an increasing strain on the region’s supplies of electricity, food and water, a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit revealed.

“By 2020, the GCC population is forecast to reach 53.5 million, a 30 per cent increase over the level in 2000. Over the same period, the region’s real GDP is expected to grow by 56 per cent and the nominal GDP, which was US$341.6bn in 2000, is forecast to soar to over US$1 trilion in 2010 and US$2 trillion in 2020,” the report showed.  READ MORE.

Tanzania Population 45 Million, Annual Growth 2.7%

Editors

The population of Tanzania grew by 10.5 million people in the last decade.  That is a 30.4% increase in ten years, or an annual rate of 2.7%, one of the highest in the world.

ROSE ATHUMANI writes in the TANZANIA DAILY NEWS, via ALLAFRICA.COM:

PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete announced the 2012 Population and Housing Census preliminary results showed that the population has reached 44,929,002 in total.

He said that the number of Mainlanders is 43,625,434 while that of Zanzibaris stands at 1,303,560. The last Population and Housing Census conducted in 2002 showed that the population was 34,443,603. President Kikwete noted that in the last ten years the population has increased by 10.5 million people.  READ MORE.