demographic dividend

noun

The economic growth resulting from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population becomes larger than the non-working-age share.

Meanings

noundemographic dividend (plural demographic dividends)

plural demographic dividends

  1. economicsThe economic growth resulting from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population becomes larger than the non-working-age share.

    It seems all but inevitable that China will move out of its "youth bulge" or demographic dividends period over the next several decades, as various studies show.

    2011 February 18, James Fallows, “How to Solve China's Gender Imbalance? The 'Babe Tax'”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 23 Feb 2011
    2 more examples

    The youngest members of America’s vast Baby Boom were in college; the oldest were on the brink of their peak earning power. America was about to reap what the economists David Bloom and David Canning have dubbed the “demographic dividend” of rising labor supply and productivity.

    2012 February 27, Megan McArdle, “Europe’s Real Crisis”, in The Atlantic, →ISSN, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2012

    Much is changing, and the process of transition is traumatic for millions. India's youth could be a "demographic dividend", ensuring stability and prosperity for decades to come – or a disaster, condemning the country to years of deep social tensions, drift and fear.

    2014 April 7, Jason Burke, “India election: country awaits a demographic dividend or disaster”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 07 Apr 2014

Origin

Coined by David E. Bloom and David Canning.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch demografisch dividend
  • demografisch dividendTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

demographic dividend. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demographic%20dividend

MLA

“demographic dividend.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demographic%20dividend. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “demographic dividend,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demographic%20dividend.

Source: demographic dividend on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.