Who I’ll Be

Meet the kids of 2014. They’ll likely be the most technologically dependent generation ever. That’s no surprise, but instead of relying on digital devices mostly to communicate, they’ll increasingly use them to learn. Children born this year are likely to be among the heaviest in recorded history–a troubling sign that may actually keep them from outliving their parents. And by the time they’re adults, they will find themselves living in a society with the largest number of elderly ever; about 20% of the population will be over age 65 by then, compared with 13.7% today.

CALL ME LYN

If I’m a girl, my name is likely to end in -lyn, as in Marilyn or Madilyn

11 BILLION

During my lifetime, I’ll share the planet with 3 billion more people who haven’t been born yet

172 MILLION

That’s how many people I will be competing with for a job when I’m in my 20s

1 TO 2 CHILDREN

I’ll have few siblings, since families will remain small

69 YEARS

I’ll probably live close to seven decades on average

SOURCES: MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW, NOVEMBER 2006; THE FUTURIST, SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2012; WORLD POPULATION PROSPECTS: THE 2012 REVISION (U.N., 2013); CDC/NCHS NATIONAL VITAL STATISTICS SYSTEM; BABYNAMESLOG.COM; DISNEYBABY.COM