The Demographics Podcast with Fexingo: Aging Populations, Birth Rates, and Economic Impact

Germany's pay-as-you-go pension system faces a demographic crunch as the baby boomer generation retires. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine a specific policy lever: the 2023 Skilled Immigration Act and its projected impact on the pension contribution ratio. With 1.7 million job vacancies and a shrinking native-born workforce, the show drills into a Bundesbank estimate that net immigration of...

Lucas and Luna explore how demographic aging is reshaping housing markets across developed economies, with a focus on the United States. They discuss the 'silver tsunami' of older homeowners aging in place, the resulting housing shortage for younger families, and how cities like Tokyo have managed to avoid the worst effects through permissive zoning and construction. The episode drills into specif...

In episode 5 of The Demographics Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine the economic implications of China's shrinking working-age population. With the working-age cohort peaking in 2011 and projected to fall by over 200 million by 2050, China faces headwinds similar to Japan but with key differences: China's workforce decline is faster, and its labor-intensive manufacturing model is more exposed. Lucas...

In this episode of The Demographics Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine Sweden's unique pro-natalist policy experiment. While much of the developed world sees birth rates below 1.5, Sweden maintained a fertility rate near 1.9 for over a decade—before it suddenly dropped. We dive into the specific policies that contributed: generous parental leave with 'use-it-or-lose-it' months for fathers, subsidized...

South Korea's total fertility rate has fallen to 0.72 — the lowest in the world. In this episode of The Demographics Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how a hyper-competitive education system, crushing housing costs, and a rigid corporate culture have created a demographic crisis. They break down the specific feedback loops: each year of delayed marriage reduces lifetime fertility by roughly 5 perce...

In this episode of The Demographics Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack Italy's demographic bind: a birth rate below 1.2 and a population where nearly one in four people is over 65. They focus on the economic ripple effects through the care economy — from unpaid family labor to the rising cost of elder care facilities. With specific data from Italy's National Institute of Statistics and a comparison to...

In the premiere episode of The Demographics Podcast, Lucas and Luna anchor on a startling number: Japan's fertility rate has fallen to 1.2 children per woman, far below the replacement level of 2.1. They explore how this single statistic ripples through Japan's economy—from shuttered schools in rural Yamaguchi to the Bank of Japan's struggle with near-zero growth and a shrinking tax base. Lucas ex...