Demography
人口结构
Large parts of Asia are getting old before they get rich
亚洲大片地区未富先老
Even poor countries must start planning for an ageing population
即使是穷国也必须开始为老龄化筹谋
A bulge in a country’s working-age population is a blessing. Lots of workers support relatively few children and retired people. So long as the labour market can absorb a surge of job-seekers, output per head will rise. That can boost savings and investment, leading to higher economic growth, more productivity gains and developmental lift-off. Yet for countries that fail to seize this opportunity, the results can be grim—as many developing countries may soon discover.
一个国家劳动年龄人口激增是好事情。这样就有很多劳动人口供养相对较少的孩子和退休人员。只要劳动力市场能够吸收飙升的求职者，人均产出就会上升。这可以促进储蓄和投资，从而推动经济增长、提高生产率以及加速发展。然而，对于未能抓住这一机遇的国家来说，结果可能很严峻——许多发展中国家可能很快就会看到这一点。
- bulge 突然暴涨、暂时的激增（参见：小词详解 | bulge）
- surge 形容物价、利润、数量等“急剧上升、飞涨、激增”，多指在一段稳定或平静的时期内发生的短暂突然的大幅度增加（参见：小词详解 | surge）
- 拓展学习：熟词僻义 | lead 是一种什么金属？
- grim 严峻的、严重的（参见：小词详解 | grim）
Consider Thailand. It is rapidly greying. In 2021 the share of Thais aged 65 or over hit 14%, a threshold that is often used to define an aged society. Soon Thailand will, like Japan, South Korea and most Western countries, see a dwindling supply of workers and, without extraordinary measures, flagging productivity and growth. Yet unlike Japan and the rest, Thailand, with a GDP per person of just $7,000 in 2021, is not a developed country. It has got old before it has got rich. When Japan had a similar portion of oldies, it was roughly five times richer than Thailand is today.
来看看泰国。它正在快速老龄化。2021年，泰国65岁及以上人口占比跨过了14%这一通常被视为进入“老龄社会”的门槛。很快，泰国就会像日本、韩国和大多数西方国家一样面临劳动力供应减少，而如果不采取特别措施，将面对生产率和经济增长乏力。然而，有别于日本和其他国家，泰国不是发达国家，它在2021年的人均GDP仅为7000美元。它还没变富裕就已经衰老了。当日本的老年人口占比处于类似水平时，其富裕程度大约是今天泰国的五倍。
- dwindle （逐渐）减少、变小、缩小
- flag 表示“疲乏、变弱”或“松劲、泄气、热情衰减”，多指人集中在某个事物上的精力、力气、勇气、精神、兴趣或注意力变得疲倦、微弱或缺乏，这个概念用来形容事物时，则相应表示“失去吸引力、变得枯燥无味”（参见：熟词僻义 | 你的英语热情 flag 了没？）
