Older adults outnumber young kids across the world for first time in human history

The world’s elderly population has overtaken the number of young children for the first time in human history, according to a US Census Bureau report. People aged 65+ made up 10.5% of global population in 2025, surpassing children aged five and under. Longer lives and falling birth rates are driving the shift, with India and China recording below-replacement fertility rates.