The Shape of Our Future

We are facing a unique demographic moment. Today’s young people are the largest cohort ever. Far too many young women and girls do not have access to education or to voluntary family planning. Meanwhile, climate change, water stress, pressures on biodiversity, and other environmental changes are decreasing food security and livelihoods in the most rapidly growing places while at the same time increasing the risks – and consequences – of natural disasters, outbreaks of conflict, and economic disruptions. The Wilson Center’s 'The Shape of Our Future' project focuses on how often overlooked population trends—fertility, mortality, migration, urbanization—are shaping communities’ chances for prosperity, health, and security.