"By 2050 the United States will be the only developed country among the world's 20 most populous nations," the New York Times reported. "In 1950 at least half of the top 10 were industrial nations. In 2000 there were still three, including Japan and Russia." By 2050 the population of semico-lonial countries is expected to grow from 4.9 billion to 8.2 billion, while the imperialist countries will hold at 1.2 billion.

"After World War II, Europe accounted for 22 percent of the world population and Africa 8 percent," stated Joseph Chamie, director of the UN population division. "Today they are about the same, about 13 percent, but by 2050 Africa is expected to be three times larger than Europe."

India is growing faster than earlier predictions and, by extrapolating current trends, would eclipse China as the world's most populous nation within 50 years. Countries of the former Soviet Union and many in eastern Europe currently have negative population growth. For example, in Russia, births per 1,000 people are 8.37 while deaths are 14.63. Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Ukraine have similar figures. Russia's population of 145 million is predicted to drop to 136 million in 25 years if these trends continue. By contrast, Iran will grow from 67 million to 90 million, and Turkey from 65 million to 88 million in the same period.

"In 2000, the EU (European Union) had a natural increase of 343,000 people," Chamie said. "India achieved this in the first week of 2001. If you add immigration to Europe, the net growth would be about 1.2 million. India grew that much in the first three weeks of the year."

Statistics listed on the 2000 World Population Data Sheet project the U.S. population increasing by 46 percent over the next 50 years, while Japan sees a decline of 21 percent and Europe a decline of 10 percent. The average age of Europe and Japan will continue to increase relative to that of the United States.  
 
Young and multinational
These facts point to some important changes already underway in the composition of the U.S. working class, which is younger and more multinational than ever before.

Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau show that as a result of massive immigration to the United States in the 1990s, some 30 million residents--11 percent of the country's 281 million people--are foreign-born. The report said that 51 percent of these immigrants came from Latin America, 25.5 percent from Asia, and 15.3 percent from Europe.

In 1970, around 4.7 percent of the population was born outside the country. "Not since 1910 when a great exodus from Europe began waning and 14.7 percent of Americans were foreign-born has the percentage been so high," stated the Financial Times.

In the United States, the Hispanic population--primarily working people from Mexico and other countries in Latin America--increased 58 percent since 1990, from 22.3 million to 35.3 million, equaling the Black population, which rose 21 percent to 35.4 million. The Asian population grew by 74 percent to 11.5 million.

This huge increase in immigrants is largely responsible for the growth of major cities throughout the country. New York City's population grew 9.4 percent from 1990, topping 8 million, according to the 2000 Census. About 65 percent of the city's population is now classified as "minorities." The largest growth was in the numbers of Latinos and Asians.

For the first time since the 1950s, the population of Chicago increased, reaching nearly 2.9 million people, with Mexicans and other Hispanics comprising one-quarter of the people living there. Houston and Dallas have seen population boosts over the past decade of 20 percent and 18 percent respectively. Every state in the nation increased its population. Only the District of Columbia experienced a decline.

Some of the biggest population increases over the past 10 years occurred in cities and towns throughout the South and West, spurred by the increased numbers of working people who hail from Mexico--as well as other countries in Central and South America like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia. Working in meatpacking, garment, and other industries where the bosses have driven down wages and working conditions, they have become an ever more important component of the American working class, joining and leading struggles to build unions. Increases in the Latino population are 153 percent in Iowa, 117 percent in Indiana, 337 percent in Arkansas, and 108 percent in Oklahoma.

New census figures also indicate a rising number of undocumented workers in the United States. While U.S. officials had estimated their numbers at 6 million, it now appears the actual number is at least 50 percent higher--in the range from 9 million to 11 million.

Increased immigration has boosted the rolls of those attending public schools as well, equaling the all-time high of 48.8 million set in 1970 when the post-World War II baby boom generation was in school. In 1999, about 20 percent of the nation's students in the first through 12th grades were immigrants or children of immigrants.

While the population of large cities like New York have increased, so has the degree of residential segregation. Many of those new to the city confront housing discrimination at the hands of landlords and real estate brokers.

According to John Logan, a sociologist at the State University at Albany, "Neighborhoods that have real concentrations of minority-group members really are isolated enclaves, and very large shares of those groups live in those places."  
 
 
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