The Graphic Truth: Demographics and economic power

Updated on 08/29 to correct the positions of Japan and Germany in 2020.

Will demographic trends change the pecking order of the global economy three decades from now? Yes, but not as much as some experts have predicted. According to a new study, in 2050 China will have surpassed the US as the world's largest economy — despite China's population declining while America's keeps growing (mainly due to immigration). India will also rise economically as it becomes the world's most populous country, while Japan will stay in fourth position despite a shrinking population. We take a look at where the world's top 10 economies will be ten and twenty years from now, showing each country's projected population size.