This means that on average, every year for the next 50 years, the world population will grow by about the number of people that live now in Italy, and total population growth over the next 50 years will be more than twice the size of the current population in China.

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Adjust that number for population growth and a correct measure of inflation and you see that the average person is getting poorer.

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The number of white children declined, due in part to age: The white population is older on average, so more whites are dying, and fewer are in their prime child-bearing years.

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The UN calculates a population's human capital based on its average years of schooling, the wage its workers can command and the number of years they can expect to work before they retire (or die).

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