In 2030, the proportion of those aged 65 and over in OECD countries is expected to range from 33 percent in Australia to a massive 49 percent in Germany. For Germany, that would represent a tripling of the proportion of the population over 65 since 1960. In the developing countries, populations will continue to grow at a fast pace, exacerbating the problems of widespread poverty and food shortages. Together with unemployment, particularly among young people, this will contribute greatly to migratory pressures. The OECD projects that environmental problems will move to the top of the agenda because of global warming, pollution of the oceans, and congestion.
Water scarcity is an acute difficulty.
The study says population growth, economic expansion and climate change could expose as many as 3,000 million people to water shortages by the year 2025. The diversification promised by the new knowledge economy is one of its great attractions, but the OECD says it harbors worrying dangers. Distribution of wealth could become even more uneven. The OECD sees them in the following ways. Businesses, and even individual households, will have to embrace a new culture of creativity and experimentation, and governments will need to shift to more diversified, decentralized and market-driven output.