US population stability requires immigration — just not too much

The current populations of some 40 countries are expected to be smaller by the mid-century. That group includes China, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, and Ukraine — but not the United States.

The continuing demographic growth of the United States is a striking exception to the declining populations in most developed countries, as well as in many less developed countries.

Those population declines are projected to be 16 percent in Japan, 12 percent in South Korea, 11 percent in Italy, 8 percent in China and Russia, 7 percent in Spain and 5 percent in Germany. In contrast, America’s population is expected to increase by 17 percent by 2050, according to the Census Bureau.

America will likely continue being the world’s third-largest population for at least several more decades. In 2050, following India at 1.6 billion and China at 1.3 billion, the U.S. population is projected to reach 390 million. Several years later, however, America will be displaced to fourth place, as Nigeria’s rapidly growing population is projected to reach more than 400 million by 2055.

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