Ensuring social cohesion while facing demographic challenge

The world’s population today stands at more than 7.5 billion people, and many projections indicate that the 10 billion mark should be passed in 2050. Thus, the terms “pressure”, “explosion” or “boom” regularly recur in public debate to characterize what seems to be the inevitable trajectory of world population. However, the latter remains a conceptual notion that covers many realities. In some regions of the world, entire territories have been depopulated in favour of urban centres for several decades, fertility rates are declining and the population is living longer overall. The demographic challenge is therefore complex and has a global and delayed impact on natural ecosystems and social and economic equilibrium. What then are the real demographic risks facing our societies? How can we ensure the prosperity of future generations? Is the ageing of populations a burden on public finances? Are pension systems necessarily increasingly unbalanced? Will the demographic boom in Africa and India result in mass migration or an economic boom on the continent? Between environmental tensions and international economic competition, should we finally continue to encourage births?