Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 4th Edition

Emerging mega-trends

Of the many emerging trends that will affect the shape of supply chains in the

future, perhaps the most critical are those to do with demographics and changes

in global spending patterns.

Some of these demographic and wealth redistribution changes include:

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A projected increase in the world’s population from somewhere in the region

of 7 billion today to over 9 billion by 2050. At the same time age profiles are

changing differentially across countries and regions and this combined with

cross-border migration means that some countries’ populations will grow

whilst others will shrink. As a result, spending patterns are likely to change,

causing some markets to expand and others to decline.

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The United Nations reports