Uncrowded house: European power during demographic change

Uncrowded house: European power during demographic change

How policymakers respond to Europe’s many challenges—from Russian aggression to sluggish economic growth to the shift to clean energy - will shape the continent for decades to come. In the face of these trials, however, they overlook something slower but equally as important: the global demographic transition.

This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Alberto Rizzi, ECFR policy fellow, to discuss what effect a shrinking and ageing global population is having on 21st-century geopolitics. Building on Alberto’s new policy brief, they discusses the changing demography of the EU and European states and broader global trends—from China and Russia’s dwindling birth and death rates, to America’s relatively optimistic demographic outlook.


But is a bigger population always an inherent advantage? And how can European policymakers maintain Europe’s global power in the face of demographic change?

The podcast was recorded on June 5th 2025


Bookshelf:

Markets, migrants, microchips: European power in a world of demographic change by Alberto Rizzi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(632)

De-risking and its impact on the global economy

De-risking and its impact on the global economy

A few years ago decoupling was all the rage, but Western economies are now moving towards de-risking as they strive to reduce their economic reliance on China. A United States keen to preserve its tec...

15 Mar 202436min

The future of the war in Gaza

The future of the war in Gaza

The death toll in Gaza now exceeds 30,000. Five months into the war, much of the sympathy the international community had for Israel following the 7 October attacks has evaporated amid such violence a...

8 Mar 202437min

Ukraine’s future in NATO

Ukraine’s future in NATO

The conflict in Ukraine has crystallised into a war of attrition. As military losses pile up on both sides, Russia could take advantage of this year’s electoral uncertainty in the West to strike a set...

1 Mar 202424min

Two long years of war in Ukraine

Two long years of war in Ukraine

Tomorrow the war in Ukraine will enter its third year. Kyiv’s counteroffensive has proved much less successful than the Ukrainian government had hoped. And as Western support threatens to dry up, Ukra...

23 Feb 202436min

How Europe can prepare for America’s withdrawal

How Europe can prepare for America’s withdrawal

In the past weeks, Donald Trump caused alarm bells to go off in the European capitals, stating that he would “encourage” Russia to punish his European NATO allies that do not reach the spending requir...

19 Feb 202437min

A life in the American century

A life in the American century

With the United States’ presidential election just a few months away, the stakes go far beyond domestic politics. The results will decide the future of American foreign policy, at least for the next f...

9 Feb 202437min

A new defence strategy for Europe

A new defence strategy for Europe

Facing a major war in Europe, as well as an expanding conflict in the Middle East, it is increasingly important for European leaders to meet the security challenges of tomorrow. This week, the inaugur...

2 Feb 202436min

The future of the Red Sea

The future of the Red Sea

Two weeks ago, the United States and the United Kingdom launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the group’s continued attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. While th...

26 Jan 202427min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
det-store-bildet
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
fotballpodden-2
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
rss-ness
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik