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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The global population is getting older. </li><li>The trend will lead to lower returns, earnings growth, and valuations, JPMorgan strategists say.</li></ul>The aging of the world population is expected to accelerate in the coming decades, which will likely produce bad outcomes for the stock market, JPMorgan strategists say.The strategists say that historically, an older population has led to declining returns, lower earnings growth, and weaker valuations.Over a 10-year period, a 1% increase in the number of people over 65 is correlated with a 0.92% decline in annual stock returns, the strategists calculated in a report released last week.They point mainly to slower growth and falling valuations.With an older investor base looking to save for retirement, investment capital declines, leading to less innovation. That, plus slower growth in the workforce, will have a negative impact on earnings growth, the strategists say."Domestic population aging may reduce earnings growth for several reasons. It leads to slower workforce growth, reducing domestic economic growth. There is also evidence that aging can reduce innovation and productivity growth," the strategists said.That's especially true for companies that derive revenue from international operations, the strategists say."For companies that derive more of their revenue from abroad, like multinationals, global population aging (in a GDP-weighted sense) is likely to be more consequential for earnings growth than local population aging," the strategists wrote.That means equity market indexes with small and mid-caps will likely see more impact from local population aging than those with exclusively large caps.Valuations will also take a hit, the strategists said. As the elderly empty their retirement funds, national savings decline, thus raising bond yields. Older populations also pull out of the market at higher rates, driving down stock prices.Those trends, plus lower earnings growth expectations, justify lower valuations, the strategists say.The strategists say there's one bright spot, though. That's healthcare, which older populations tend to spend more on."We find a clear positive relationship between aging and excess returns on the sector, driven entirely by faster earnings growth," the strategists said.A 1% increase in the population share of those over 65 will lead to a 0.85% increase in health care returns over a 10-year period, the strategists say.The strategists note, too, that the populating aging trend won't impact countries equally. In China, the elderly share of the population is set to increase by seven percentage points in the next decade. The US, meanwhile, will see a more moderate rise from 18.1% to 21.5%.Past reports have also warned of the aging population's impact on the economy.Earlier this year, Barclays economist Jonathan Millar said boomers, a historically large generation, are approaching <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomer-gen-z-millennials-economy-housing-job-market-stocks-2024-2">"peak burden" on the US economy</a> in the next few years. Meanwhile, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/recession-economy-outlook-us-stock-market-ownership-old-americans-retirement-2024-1">a larger share of people over 55% owning stocks</a> in the US may be a downside risk to the market, as older investors often don't have the luxury of holding through a downturn and could exacerbate volatility by selling during market pullbacks.

The world population is growing older. That's bad news for the stock market.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia's population could shrink by half by the end of the century, the <keyword id="22757247" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Atlantic-Council" source="keywords">Atlantic Council</keyword> said.</li><li>The <keyword id="22757248" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russian-Ukraine-war" source="keywords">Russian-Ukraine war</keyword> has accelerated the <keyword id="20234670" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="population-decline" source="keywords">population decline</keyword>. </li></ul>Russia's economy has a dire demographic problem on its hands, and the nation could see its population slashed in half by the end of the century, according to the Atlantic Council. The report from the Washington, DC, think tank — written by Harley Balzer, a professor emeritus at Georgetown University — points to Russia's long-running <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-calls-russians-more-babies-ethnic-survival-economy-2024-2" target="_blank">population decline</a>. The nation's overall population growth has shrunk over the past 10 years, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/POPTOTRUA647NWDB" target="_blank">World Bank</a> data. That decline has been exacerbated by the Russian-Ukraine war. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-intelligence-assesses-ukraine-war-has-cost-russia-315000-casualties-source-2023-12-12/">Russian casualties climbed above 300,000</a> at the end of 2023, according to US Intelligence officials, and about a million <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ukraine-war-economy-soviet-union-spending-workers-flee-imf-2024-2">Russians fled the country</a> soon after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. The demographic trend spells trouble for Russia's economy, which is already dealing with a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-lacks-workers-ukraine-war-labor-crisis-worker-shortage-2023-12">severe worker shortage</a>. At the end of 2023, Russia was short a record 5 million workers, according to an estimate from the Russian Academy of Science's Institute of Economics. Russia has turned to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-making-labor-crisis-worse-sending-workers-to-war-ukraine-2023-11" target="_blank">migrant</a> and even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-economy-worker-shortage-prison-labor-ukraine-war-putin-kremlin-2023-10" target="_blank">prison labor</a> to supplement its workforce, but those aren't sustainable solutions to its population problem, Balzer says. "Putin's government has not evinced visible concern that Russia's population might be cut in half by century's end. Unless Russia's leaders can develop and finance a more effective set of policies, the only solutions to population decline will be a combination of incorporating non-Russian territory and/or immigration from Asia and Africa," Balzer said in the <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-Russia-without-Russians-Putins-disastrous-demographics.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> this week. "As Russia's population continues to decline, immigrants will be increasingly vital to economic recovery," he added. Experts have said a shrinking population could result in a number of problems for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/russia-economy-ukraine-war-tech-reverse-industrialization-central-bank-finland-2023-3">Russia's economy</a>, like lower growth and productivity. By 2026, that could put <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-economy-brain-drain-labor-shortage-workforce-exodus-capital-flight-2023-9">Russia's economy on track to fall behind Indonesia's</a>, where population is rising, the Atlantic Council previously predicted. "Putin's choice of timing for military aggression in Ukraine might have reflected an understanding that Russia's demographic (and economic) situation would not improve in the next two decades. However, the war is turning a growing crisis into a catastrophe," they added. Russia's economy isn't on solid footing to begin with, particularly as its invasion of Ukraine grows more costly and damages its economic ties to global markets. Moscow is on track to fall into a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-economy-collapse-recession-moscow-ukraine-war-us-dollar-energy-2024-7#:~:text=According%20to%20UC%20Berkeley%20economist,steady%20flow%20of%20US%20dollars.">severe recession</a> by the end of the year, one UC Berkeley economist previously told Business Insider, pointing to Russia's collapsed energy trade and its waning access to the US dollar. Correction: August 9, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated who wrote the Atlantic Council report. It was written by Harley Balzer, a professor emeritus at Georgetown University, not multiple Atlantic Council researchers.

Russia's economy faces a demographic disaster and risks seeing its population reduced by half by the end of this century, think tank says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Vultr operates global data centers to enhance AI computing capabilities and speed.</li><li>Sovereign clouds ensure data is stored locally, aiding compliance and national security.</li></ul>Most of our online work <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-nvidia-cloud-ai-anthropic-2023-10">happens in the cloud</a> these days, though we likely don't know where the computing is actually happening. The location of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-center-demand-nvidia-databank-2024-8">data center</a> that houses our spreadsheets and shopping lists doesn't matter much to most of us until it does.In the age of AI, where computations are becoming more complex by the day, some nations are looking to make sure some of that power is within their borders. It's good business, but it's also a matter of pride, practicality, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-sam-altman-infrastructure-artificial-intelligence-data-centers-2024-9">national security.</a>Vultr is a cloud service provider and data center operator founded in 2014. The company started buying Nvidia GPUs in 2021, getting to the AI cloud computing business earlier than most. It operates data centers globally, with both traditional computing and AI servers for public cloud clients, along with companies and countries that want their own private clouds. CEO J.J. Kardwell describes the company as the largest privately-held cloud computing platform in the world.A large global footprint, with more than 30 data centers on six continents, helps with computing speed, especially for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-competition-sambanova-groq-cerebras-show-faster-inference-speed-2024-9">AI inference</a>. It also makes the Vultr boss well-positioned to explain a phrase frequently on the lips of AI luminaries like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-countries-need-own-ai-systems-2024-2">Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang:</a> sovereign AI.This Q&amp;A has been edited for clarity and length.BI: What is a sovereign cloud?Sovereign cloud is the delivery of cloud infrastructure as a service, typically inside a country. It guarantees data is stored locally, which ensures it's used strictly for the intended purposes and not transferred outside of national borders without explicit authorization. That's the essence of it.The higher levels of sovereignty involve no communication, no information whatsoever, even at a control plane level, passing outside of a country. Every single interaction, even with a platform, happens in-country. This helps ensure data sovereignty, data residency, data governance, and compliance with local privacy laws.BI: If most companies simply rent computing capacity from a cloud provider, why would they care where the data centers are?In some cases, it's actual compliance with the law. For example, let's say it was a patient's medical records, personally identifiable information, or other sensitive data. They may have a compliance obligation regarding where they can store data.The second is that the lowest level of risk is if the chain of custody can be documented from end to end. So keeping data in-country and in a sovereign cloud enables the highest levels of accountability and avoids transferring data across international networks.BI: How does a sovereign cloud work?If you want true technological independence, you can deliver it with essentially an air gap deployment and a dedicated control plane where the customer is completely untethered from any other data centers or infrastructure.AI doesn't necessarily require interactions with data from many sources. Many training jobs are specific data sets that can be loaded onto a network in a sovereign deployment. And everything can quite easily be executed in-country.I think many countries realize that some of the most important applications of AI are around matters of national security, critical industries, and citizen data, where their local laws around consumer data and privacy may be very, very different from those in other countries. So it's quite important to them to be able to ensure for their citizens that anything that's being done, with AI is being done within the confines of the country and in compliance with their own laws.BI: What do people mean when they use the term "sovereign AI"?They are focused on capacity in a specific country, and typically they're talking about capacity sponsored by the government, whether it's at a state or federal level within that country.One of the challenges, or inequities, is the very uneven distribution of AI infrastructure around the world.Obviously, people are well aware of the transformative impact that AI can have across so many industries, but the infrastructure itself to perform that work, train models, and support inference is very unevenly distributed globally.Many countries are realizing that if they don't take an active role at the government level in helping sponsor, encourage, and incentivize the deployment of infrastructure locally, their businesses and populations will have less access to that technology.By definition, large language models are specific to a language. And the biggest portions of early innovation were done in US English. Only recently we're seeing the globalization of many of these models. You can't train on a US body of data, for example, for legal documentation then do simple translation into other languages.Obviously, you'd miss local conventions of law and language, and therefore, translations are not enough. You'd actually need to do training on local models, on local bodies of data. Every major language economy in the world wants to benefit from AI, yet the resource is not available proportionately to where the population or even the GDP of the world is, right now.BI: AI computing is extremely <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-centers-us-power-grid-gpu-nvidia-cerebras-amazon-2024-7">energy intensive,</a> and concerns about the US grid abound. Can you speak to how those dynamics are changing where data centers might be built?Given the significant growing power consumption of AI infrastructure and the importance of its efficient delivery, we will increasingly see capacity building in global markets that have a comparative advantage in supporting lower-cost data center capacity.We have a strategic partnership with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://datacenternews.asia/story/vultr-singtel-enhance-cloud-gpu-capacity-in-southeast-asia">Singtel in Singapore</a>, and if you look at the way that they're building across the region, they're bringing up massive capacity in markets like Malaysia and others where we'll be able to very efficiently serve the region and much of the world where you see more efficient power and operating costs.The domestic military or Department of Defense equivalent in any country will want those deployments to be domestic, regardless of any cost.But for many enterprises, so long as the execution is done at world class compliance, privacy, and trust commitments, you will see more efficient distribution of those workloads that can be executed in other places in the world.

Sovereign AI explained: An AI cloud CEO unpacks what's behind the trend

<ul class="summary-list"><li>More and more couples are including pet provisions in their prenups, divorce attorneys say.</li><li>Pet prenups can cover things like animal custody, financial arrangements, and even "petcations."</li></ul>Fighting over Fido has never been easier.More and more Americans are celebrating their impending nuptials by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-are-driving-an-increase-in-prenuptial-agreements-2019-8">securing a prenup</a>, a legal document that outlines how an engaged couple's assets would be split in the case of divorce.And divorce lawyers are seeing an uptick in the inclusion of pet provisions in prenups, ensuring beloved animals are accounted for should the relationship go awry."Very often, I find people will fight more about a pet than over money," said Jacqueline Newman, a New York divorce attorney.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-prenup-clauses-marriage-divorce-2019-2">Pet prenups</a> are a relatively new phenomenon in the marriage and end-of-marriage world, but for as long as people have been marrying and separating, they've been concerned about their precious "fur babies," Newman told Business Insider.Some couples included pet provisions in their prenups as far back as the mid-aughts, but those early arrangements were rarely enforceable and often legally impractical, according to Erin Levine, a former divorce attorney and the founder of online divorce platform Hello Divorce.Courts have long been accustomed to treating pets as property in divorce, deciding an animal's fate <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/which-states-are-community-property-states-in-divorce">alongside other assets</a>, like homes and earnings.These days, however, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-california-divorce-courts-go-to-dogs-as-pets-gain-status-2018-9">changing state laws</a>, evolving attitudes around animal ethics, and a pandemic spike in adoptions have led to an uptick in so-called pet prenups, several divorce attorneys and mediators told Business Insider.<h2 id="802e9330-798e-4383-8bb8-a7a4cf53227c">The history of pet prenups</h2>The term "pet prenup" refers to any prenuptial agreement that includes a provision dealing with pets, legal experts said. But pet prenups only exist today thanks to years of divorcing couples fighting over pets.In her early days practicing family law, Newman said she sometimes worked with divorcing couples who wanted to include pets in their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/divorce-share-custody-kids-parenting-plan-time-regret-decision-2024-1">custody agreements</a> as they tried to figure out where the kids would go after a split.As people started <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/people-dating-longer-than-ever-before-getting-married-2017-7">getting married later in life</a>, often forgoing children entirely, Newman said she began to see a rise in pet-exclusive divorce arrangements, in which couples would hash it out over only their shared animals.Levine encountered her first "pet prenup" about a decade ago, she said. The millennial couple she was working with was considering combining their assets and had a shared dog they were certain would one day be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-famous-animals-of-all-time-2019-10#:~:text=Many%20creatures%20throughout%20history%20have,husky%20are%20regarded%20as%20heroes.">famous</a>. As a result, the puppy parents wanted to make sure there were legal provisions in place for the pet's future earnings and career control should they split.<div type="image" title="A child pets an elderly dog" height="1456" width="1941" msid="112811286" hostid="261" sizebytes="161004"></div>Kristyn Carmichael, an Arizona family law attorney and mediator, said in comments to BI that pet prenups often designate outright ownership, i.e., Fido belonged to Partner A before the marriage, so Fido will live with Partner A after the marriage.But many arrangements also allow for a more structured pet parenting plan, not dissimilar to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-nesting-divorce-parenting-plan-2023-12">custody agreement with kids</a> — known in the industry as a "co-pawrenting agreement," according to Levine.The divorced couple could <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-about-wally-how-to-co-parent-a-pet-with-your-ex-2012-2">share time with a pet equally</a>, or an agreement might designate one partner as a pet's primary owner while offering the second partner "right of first refusal" should the first partner no longer be able to care for the pet, Carmichael said.Many pet provisions also include <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pets-how-much-each-year-own-cats-dogs-2019-10">financial details</a> for the animal — known as "petimony" — such as vet bills, food and litter costs, and grooming, divorce experts said.Without a pet provision included in a couple's prenup, the fight over shared animals can get nasty, Newman said. In most states, pets are still considered chattel or personal property, so a judge will typically decide where a pet goes post-divorce if the couple can't come to an agreement, divorce lawyers said. Similar to how a judge might decide custody of children, the court most often grants ownership to the pet's primary caretaker."Still, the last thing a judge wants to do is deal with pet custody issues," Levine said. "And the last thing pet parents want to do is spend thousands on legal fees going to court."<h2 id="aaba1c65-fdd8-461f-b0bb-3c7c58feca43">The rise of pet prenups</h2>Divorce attorneys who spoke to BI agreed that pet prenups have become increasingly popular in recent years. Out of nine divorce attorneys and mediators who discussed pet provisions with BI, eight said they had some firsthand experience with them.Meg McKinney, a Maryland family law attorney, estimated that about one-fourth of prenuptial agreements these days include some sort of pet provision, while New York family law attorney Yonatan Levoritz put the number closer to 20%.<div type="image" title="Cats" height="2663" width="3551" msid="112811281" hostid="261" sizebytes="670418"></div>According to a 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=b1629522909bbcde3df991ba78b605159be4f7fc284ad6ee7df438dc92231e11&amp;postID=66bfaf5d7d61a86c186b78b8&amp;postSlug=pet-prenups-new-divorce-marriage-trend-provisions-legal-dogs-2024-8&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rover.com%2Fblog%2Fprepup%2F">survey</a> of 1,000 pet owners conducted by Rover, more than 80% of pet parents are in favor of proactively arranging their pet's future ahead of any potential split. That's no surprise for a population that considers their pets as much a part of the family as other humans, according to a 2023 Pew Research <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/07/about-half-us-of-pet-owners-say-their-pets-are-as-much-a-part-of-their-family-as-a-human-member/">survey</a>.Still, only about 28% of pet parents actually have an official pet agreement of any sort, according to the Rover survey, and divorce experts said animal provisions are still more uncommon than not.As a result, some divorce mediators are encouraging those without a pet prenup to think about pets early in the splitting process.Levine's platform, Hello Divorce, aims to automate many of the legal and financial logistics associated with divorce. In recent years, Levine said she's implemented specific questions about pets into the website's welcome questionnaire.As a result, Levine said, she's seen several unorthodox evolutions of the typical pet provisions, including fights over an animal's Instagram account, negotiations over "petcations," and outlines for a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-pennsylvania-pastor-throws-extravagant-funeral-for-pet-pug-2021-5">pet's funeral arrangements.</a><h2 id="a234143c-0556-42d9-acf1-26c063fdc036">The factors spurring pet prenups</h2>Shifting legal and cultural attitudes toward pets could be contributing to the rise in pet prenups, divorce experts said.While pets are still considered personal property in most of the country, some states have started considering their "best interest" by applying the same standard used in child custody cases to animals, said New York family law attorney Atty Bruggemann. Alaska, California, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington, DC, all have such laws in place, according to Hello Divorce.On the one hand, these sorts of pro-animal laws could be encouraging people to take a more proactive approach to thinking about their pets in a custodial way, divorce attorneys said. But the "best interest" stipulations also make pet provisions in prenups slightly less cut-and-dried, with a judge also having to consider which partner is best equipped to give the animal a good life, said Leigh Kahn, a New York attorney who regularly draws up prenups."Courts are starting to take this very seriously. They're not treating animals just as objects anymore," Newman said. "They're living beings with feelings and needs."<div type="image" title="A New Yorker sits on her balcony, hugging her cat and dog, who are covered by pet insurance." height="1414" width="1885" msid="112811287" hostid="261" sizebytes="119308"></div>Pets aren't just showing up in prenups, either. The Wall Street Journal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/you-love-your-dog-should-she-be-in-your-will-a2af9b04?mod=latest_headlines">reported</a> earlier this month that people increasingly include their animals in their wills.The rise of more pet-friendly laws falls in line with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/half-owners-say-pets-equal-human-family-member-survey-2023-7">America's growing obsession with our pets</a>. Animal ownership is on the rise, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic, during which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dog-trainers-burnout-booked-solid-after-millions-adopted-pandemic-puppies-2021-8">millions</a> of households adopted a new animal during the drudge of social distancing. Joe and Cheryl Dillon, divorce mediators at Equitable Mediation, said in comments to BI that the pandemic pet boom was a contributing factor to the uptick in pet prenups."Pets are really very often a couple's first baby," Newman said. "And if you have teenagers, you may like your pet way better than you like your kids."

Pet prenups are the hot new divorce trend

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's population shrinkage is having a big effect on its economy.</li><li>Marriage rates have halved over the last decade, with only 3.4 million couples marrying in the first half.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-china-population-falling-economy-deflation-evergrande-xi-jinping-2024-1">China's population has been shrinking</a> for the past two years, and the trend appears having a big impact on its economy, according to government data spanning the first half of 2024.Chinese consumers are pulling back on spending, a possible consequence of an aging population saving up for retirement, according to a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://rhg.com/research/no-quick-fixes-chinas-long-term-consumption-growth/">report</a> from the research firm Rhodium Group. Household savings have been rising over the last 11 years, the firm said, around the time China's working-age population peaked. Meanwhile, retail sales in the nation grew just 2% in June, well below the nation's pre-pandemic trend of 8% retail sales growth.Romance seems to be another victim of a shrinking population. Marriage rates continue to tumble, with 3.4 million couples tying the knot from January through June of this year. That's half the number of couples who got married in the same timeframe a decade ago, according to data from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.Spending on romance looks to be particularly anemic. Diamond imports to China have slumped 28% over the first half of the year compared to the first half of 2023.Jewellers appear to be selling down their existing inventory of diamonds rather than placing new orders, De Beers, the world's largest diamond producer, said in a note."In China, the ongoing economic challenges, particularly within the property market and low consumer confidence, have delayed the expected recovery from the sharp decline in 2023," the miner said of its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.debeersgroup.com/media/company-news/2024/interim-financial-results-for-2024">financial results</a> so far this year. "Although demand in the US has been steady and India remains robust, consumers in China are buying substantially fewer luxury products. Retailers are very cautious as they restock, creating higher than normal levels of midstream inventory."Waning sales and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-aging-population-demographics-america-finance-markets-beijing-xi-2023-8">lower growth</a> stemming from an aging population could be a reason investment in the country has stalled. Foreign direct investment in China dropped $15 billion over the last quarter, the <a target="_blank" href="http://m.safe.gov.cn/safe/2023/1103/23426.html">second-biggest investment drop</a> in the last quarter century, according to government data.China's population, which is about 1.4 billion, declined for the second year in a row in 2023, with the nation losing over 2 million people as the death rate surpassed the birth rate. Its total population could halve by the end of the century, the <a target="_blank" href="https://population.un.org/wpp/">United Nations</a> projected in its latest World Population Prospects report, predicting that the nation could have just 770 million people in it by 2100.

China's population decline is having a big impact as marriages, diamond sales, and retail spending drop

A deadly heat wave gripped large regions of Asia for weeks in April and May 2024. As temperatures climbed past 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) in India on May 7, campaigning politicians, local news announcers and voters waiting in long lines passed out from the oppressive heat. From as far north as Japan to as far south as the Philippines, the relentless heat wreaked havoc on everyday life. Students and teachers in Cambodia were sent home from school, as their hand-held fans provided little protection against the stifling heat and humidity in their poorly ventilated classrooms. Farmers in Thailand saw their crops wither and mourned the loss of livestock that perished under the punishing sun. Hundreds of people died from the heat. Most of the planet has suffered the dire effects of <keyword id="20563038" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="extreme-heat" source="keywords">extreme heat</keyword> in recent years. A weekslong heat wave in the southwestern United States in 2023 was described as "hell on earth" in Phoenix, where temperatures hit 110 F (43.3 C) or higher for 31 straight days. At the same time, Europe saw unprecedented high temperatures that killed hundreds and contributed to devastating wildfires in Greece. Regardless of where or when a heat wave strikes, one pattern is a constant: Older adults are the most likely to die from extreme heat, and this crisis will worsen in the coming years. We study <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> and population aging. Our research documents two global trends that together portend a dire future. More older adults will be at risk of heat stress First, temperatures are hotter than ever. The nine-year period from 2015 and 2023 had the highest average temperatures since global records began in 1880. Second, the population is aging worldwide. By 2050, the number of people ages 60 and older will double to nearly 2.1 billion, making up 21 per cent of the <keyword id="21055680" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-population" source="keywords">global population</keyword>. That proportion is 13 per cent today. These combined forces mean that ever-rising numbers of vulnerable older adults will be exposed to intensifying heat. To understand the risks ahead, we developed population projections for different age groups and combined them with climate change scenarios for the coming decades. Our analyses show that by 2050, more than 23 per cent of the world population ages 69 and older will be living in regions where peak temperatures routinely surpass 99.5 degrees F (37.5 degrees C), compared with just 14 per cent today. That means that as many as 250 million additional older adults will be exposed to dangerously high temperatures. Mapping the data shows that most of these older adults live in lower- and middle-income countries with insufficient services and limited access to electricity, cooling appliances and safe water. In historically cooler regions in the Global North, including North America and Europe, <keyword id="20707229" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rising-temperatures" source="keywords">rising temperatures</keyword> will be the main force driving older adults' heat exposure. In historically hotter regions in the Global South such as Asia, Africa and South America, population growth and increases in longevity mean that steeply rising numbers of older adults will be exposed to intensifying heat-related risks. Policymakers, communities, families and older residents themselves need to understand these risks and be prepared because of older adults' special vulnerabilities to heat. Extreme heat is especially harmful to older adults High temperatures are oppressive for everyone, but for older adults they can be deadly. Extreme heat worsens common age-related health conditions such as heart, lung and kidney disease and can cause delirium. Older people don't sweat as much as younger people, which makes it harder for their bodies to cool down when temperatures spike. These problems are intensified by common prescription medications, such as anticholinergics, which further reduce the capacity to sweat. Spending time outdoors in hot humid weather can cause dehydration, a problem worsened by the side effects of prescription medications such as diuretics and beta-blockers. Dehydration can make older adults weak and dizzy, increasing their risk of falls and injury. These threats are even worse in regions lacking access to safe and affordable drinking water. Poor air quality makes it difficult to breath, especially for those who already have lung problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. For older adults with physical health problems, temperatures as low as 80 F (26.7 C) can pose significant danger. And when humidity is as high as 90 per cent, even 78 F (25.6 C) can be hazardous to older adults. Nighttime heat is especially harmful for older adults whose homes lack air conditioning or who can't afford to run their air conditioners for long periods. The ideal temperature for older adults' restful sleep is between 68 and 77 F (20 and 25 C), and sleep quality diminishes as temperatures rise. A night of restless sleep can make an older adult more depressed and confused during their waking hours. Medications also can lose their effectiveness if stored in places much warmer than 77 F (25 C). Older adults also may suffer emotionally during stifling <keyword id="20472420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heat-waves" source="keywords">heat waves</keyword> Being stuck indoors when temperatures are unbearable can make older adults bored, depressed and isolated. People with cognitive impairments may underestimate the dangers of extreme heat or may not understand the heat advisories. Those who have physical mobility limitations or lack access to transportation can't easily travel to public cooling centers - if there is one nearby - or find relief in nearby "green and blue areas," such as parks and lakes. These threats are especially dire in low- and middle-income nations, where older adults are more likely to live in substandard housing and lack access to high-quality health care or ways to cool down in the heat. We talk about this as "systemic cooling poverty." What can be done? Policymakers can work to cut greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants and factories, which drive global warming, and develop effective plans to protect older people from heat risk. Older adults and their caregivers also can take steps to adapt. But efforts to help need to be tailored to each region and population. Wealthy municipalities can increase public investments in early warning systems and ride services to cooling centers and hospitals. They can use geographic information systems to identify neighborhoods with high concentrations of older adults and expand power grids to manage increasing demand for air conditioning. In regions with substandard housing, limited access to clean water and few public supports such as cooling centers, much larger changes are necessary. Providing better health care, water and housing and reducing air pollution that can mitigate health problems during heat waves require significant changes and investments many countries struggle to afford. The World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization warn that this decade will be critical for preparing communities to handle rising heat and the risk to aging populations. Across all regions, researchers, practitioners and policymakers could save lives by heeding their call. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/awfis-space-solutions-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/110467409.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/awfis-space-solutions-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/110467409.cms" target="_blank">Awfis Space Solutions IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-f55-with-leather-back-launched-in-india-starting-at-26999/articleshow/110462026.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-f55-with-leather-back-launched-in-india-starting-at-26999/articleshow/110462026.cms" target="_blank">Samsung Galaxy F55 with leather back launched in India starting at ₹26,999</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/lenovo-loq-15-review/articleshow/110456546.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/lenovo-loq-15-review/articleshow/110456546.cms" target="_blank">Lenovo LOQ 15 review – gaming laptop with a sturdy design</a>

Heat waves can be deadly for older adults: An aging global population and rising temperatures mean millions are at risk

If the thought of sunscreen conjures images of those horrifying white casts on your face and sticky application, this latest beauty industry trend might appeal to you. Marketed as <keyword id="22543566" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sunscreen-pills" source="keywords">sunscreen pills</keyword>, this product is marketed as a sure-fire way of skipping the mess and effort associated with conventional sunscreens while still getting <keyword id="19958769" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sun-protection" source="keywords">sun protection</keyword>. But as is the case with most fads, this one comes with a catch, too. Sigh. Let's face it, sunscreen pills sound undeniably attractive — imagine popping a pill and being able to frolic in the sun without a care in the world. No more reapplying gooey lotions or worrying about unsightly tan lines. This convenience factor is a major draw, especially for those who dislike traditional sunscreen. <h2>But is there any science behind the sizzle?</h2>These pills often contain <keyword id="22543569" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="polypodium-leucotomos" source="Orion">polypodium leucotomos</keyword> (PL), a Central American fern extract with some antioxidant properties. When the Sun's invisible rays (UV light) hit your skin and disrupt its molecules, they create unstable and highly reactive molecules called free radicals. Free radicals set off a damaging chain reaction, or oxidation, that hurts your skin's DNA and proteins. This damage can lead to premature ageing, inflammation and even <keyword id="20285616" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="skin-cancer" source="keywords">skin cancer</keyword>. So the antioxidant property of PL can allegedly help fight free radical damage caused by the sun's <keyword id="20373638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UV-rays" source="keywords">UV rays</keyword>. The brand Heliocare actually funded a tiny <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4345929/">study</a> involving 40 participants with skin colours ranging from white to light brown. They gave participants a supplement containing 240 mg of PL twice a day for 60 days and found that the sunscreen pills had reduced damaging effects of UV radiation like erythema — an abnormal redness. While the study also deemed higher doses of PL safe, the lack of more substantial, independent research is rather glaring. While they might be a good “supplement” for individuals with very sensitive skin or any family history of skin cancer (to be considered only after consultation with your doctor), many experts opine that they likely offer minimal, if any, protection against the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays that damage your skin. As of now, dermatologists emphasise that sunscreen pills are not a replacement for <keyword id="22543567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="topical-sunscreen" source="keywords">topical sunscreen</keyword> — and are merely supplements. <h2>A false sense of security</h2>The problem with marketing based on half-baked research with very little evidence to back its effectiveness is that it can spark some serious safety concerns. It has taken doctors forever to beat sense into us and get us to use topical sunscreen, and the false sense of security created by a <keyword id="22543570" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sunscreen-pill" source="Orion">sunscreen pill</keyword> can take all of that away. Even the FDA has warned consumers that sunscreen pills shouldn't replace topical sunscreen. Relying solely on pills puts you at risk for sunburn and potentially skin cancer. Another concern is that sunscreen pills are considered dietary supplements, which are not as rigorously regulated as medications. This makes it difficult to guarantee the effectiveness and safety of the ingredients, especially since long-term use hasn't been thoroughly studied. <h2>Sunscreen pills don’t seem very inclusive</h2>While there aren't many reported side effects, some studies have shown mild itching or gastrointestinal upset. However, there are certain groups who should be extra cautious with sunscreen pills: <ul><li>Children: Their bodies may react differently to supplements compared to adults.</li><li>Pregnant and nursing women: There's no safety data available for this population.</li><li>People with allergies to PL: Avoid these pills to prevent allergic reactions.</li><li>People with medical conditions or taking medications: Consult your doctor to ensure there are no interactions or safety concerns.</li></ul>Evidently, there’s a relatively small number of people who can benefit from sunscreen pills. <h2>The verdict</h2>The potential of sunscreen pills is not lost on us. But it is simply too early for companies to start marketing this product to trusting consumers who might make the mistake of swapping them with their topical sunscreens. More research is needed to determine their effectiveness and long-term safety. Until then, sunscreens remain the gold standard for sun protection. Sunscreen pills could be a convenient addition to your sun protection routine, but they should never replace the essentials. Sticking to dermatologist-approved methods is highly recommended. Applying a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen liberally and reapplying every two hours, or more often if swimming or sweating is usually advised. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="101028058" title="If you hate reapplying sunscreen while wearing makeup, try these 2 dermatologist-recommended hacks" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Fad-busters: “Sunscreen” pills are the new trend in the market — but should you be taking them?

About a month before I moved to Denver in 2018, I texted another recent transplant to ask for neighborhood suggestions. Her reply might as well have been in another language: Among the options she rattled off were RiNo, SoBo, LoDo, and the head-scratching LoHi. I couldn't find those names anywhere on the city's official maps, but the shorthand flowed freely among the youngish crowd I met there. The older real-estate types I encountered while reporting on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-denver-colorado-and-regretted-it-2023-11">the city's housing market</a> were fond of the nicknames, too. Soon I was parroting them all.If you've relocated to an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-home-prices-rise-appreciate-most-next-year-cities-zillow-2024-5">up-and-coming American city</a> in the past decade, you've likely had to decipher a similar code. Developers and business associations have long slapped pithy names on fast-growing parts of town, and tenured residents have long rolled their eyes at them. But with the growing adoption of these new abbreviations, I think I'm ready to say enough is enough. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-love-is-blind-charlotte-suburban-housing-debate-walkable-density-2024-3">Charlotte, North Carolina,</a> has MoRA and LoSo; <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/falling-rent-price-locations-us-housing-market-supply-florida-texas-2024-5">Nashville's</a> got SoBro; Boston has SoWa. In Louisville, Kentucky (which also has a SoBro), you may find yourself sipping a craft beer in NuLu. My <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/austin-real-estate-housing-market-health-demand-sales-prices-projections-2024-3">hometown of Austin</a> already has SoCo, and the powers that be are trying to make "SoLa" happen. The path of progress is paved with nonsense nomenclature — or, as my editor calls them, "'Sound of Music'-ass names."These unholy mashups would be fine, I guess, if they were dumb yet harmless inventions. But they're not just silly nicknames or low-lift marketing ploys. They're the calling cards of developers and new arrivals as they try to wipe the slate clean on existing neighborhoods and remake them in their image. I'm all for building more housing — it's the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economic-inequality-housing-shortage-causes-2023-1">only way out of our affordability crisis</a>, after all. If a goofy new name is all that's needed to convince well-off transplants to flock to glass towers in a once deserted part of town, then great! But often it's more about renaming a place where people already live in hopes that whitewashing its history will make it easier to attract wealthy people and drive up the property values — inevitably sending longtime residents packing.I worry that the pandemic reshuffling, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remote-work-home-house-prices-rent-cost-decline-cheaper-cities-2023-1">scattered white-collar workers across the country</a> in search of wide open spaces, will only encourage more of this kind of behavior. As cities bend over backward to attract a certain type of middle- and high-income worker, they often end up <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-american-cities-look-the-same-remote-work-city-authentic-2023-7">looking the same</a>. Now they're sounding the same, too. Let's at least call these two-syllable monikers what they are: cookie-cutter attempts to herd <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/henry-student-loans-six-figure-income-millennial-gen-z-retirement-2023-11">HENRYs</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/net-worth-dink-child-free-couples-win-the-economy-2023-10">DINKs</a> toward new coffee shops and studio apartments in areas they would have avoided a decade ago.It seems like every undervalued neighborhood in America is at risk of this kind of rebrand. But the SoBros and SoWas of the world are just the tip of the iceberg — the most egregious outcomes of contentious battles over neighborhoods' names and boundaries. And unless we put our collective foot down, we're bound to get a lot more of them.Gill Holland moved from New York City to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-things-to-do-louisville-kentucky-according-to-local-2021-9">Louisville</a> in 2005. Holland, a serial entrepreneur and real-estate developer, is a country boy at heart — he was born and raised in a small town in North Carolina — but he yearned for the kind of vibrant, walkable streets he'd come to love as a resident of Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood. He began renting office space at the edge of Louisville's downtown, in a run-down area that was home to, in his words, "lots of great, old buildings." Holland saw potential. But there was another issue. All the surrounding areas had "great brands": strong names with history behind them, like Butchertown, Smoketown, and Phoenix Hill. Holland's chosen zone, meanwhile, had no such calling card."I kept thinking, like, this part of town needs a brand," Holland told me.The local business association tried out "East Market District," which stuck for a little bit. But Holland was quietly floating another name, one that represented the "New-York-to-Louisville bridge" he was already building in his mind. When he opened an art gallery in the area, he lopped off the first syllable of each city and stitched them together. The result was NuLu.While some cities have processes for naming neighborhoods and defining their limits, most often things are more informal. Neighborhood names, as the law professors Nestor Davidson and David Fagundes noted in a 2019 paper, have long been a neat little trick of advertising devised by "real estate agents and developers, or community groups like neighborhood associations." An <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apartment-rent-increases-landlords-antitrust-lawsuits-real-estate-software-realpage-2024-4">apartment owner </a>might come up with a catchy name in a bid to draw new tenants, new arrivals might will a neighborhood into existence merely by saying it a lot, or some communities might band together to intentionally reclaim an area.These enterprising groups understand that neighborhood "brands" play an essential role in attracting new arrivals and helping them establish their place in a city (while also luring them to spend their dollars at the shops, art galleries, and restaurants in burgeoning areas). Neighborhood names are proxies for the kind of person you are or hope to become. We choose a neighborhood that matches our sense of self, the kind of place where we can find our people. Or we latch on to a neighborhood to craft a new identity, taking on the qualities of the area in which we live.Neighborhood names are also shorthand for your <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-renting-buying-affordability-mortgage-rates-home-prices-rent-2024-5">rent or mortgage payments</a>. A 2018 study from the online home-improvement platform Porch found that areas with "Hills," "Island," "Village," and "Oaks" tended to have the highest household incomes across the US. Areas with the Spanish words "Los" or "Las" in their names, on the other hand, were among the neighborhoods with the lowest incomes. In another 2018 study, researchers from McGill University and the University of Maryland noted that real-estate companies relied on neighborhood boundaries to compare prices across properties and that being associated with a desirable neighborhood could improve access to things like healthcare or lower mortgage rates.Neighborhood nicknames have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-gaudy-gilded-age-restaurants-bars-wall-street-2024-4">a rich tradition in New York</a>: There's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soho-nyc-neighborhood-rezoning-battle-photos-2021-4">SoHo</a>, an abbreviation for South of Houston Street (which also appears to be the inspiration for the wave of two-syllable monikers that has followed), Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-nyc-office-buildings-towers-became-housing-2023-9">FiDi</a> (the Financial District), and Tribeca (the Triangle Below Canal Street). Landlords in the city often try to stretch the boundaries of desirable neighborhoods when advertising their properties — I've rolled my eyes at listings that claimed to be in high-demand neighborhoods like the Lower East Side or Chelsea when no reasonable local would agree. This practice isn't unique to New York. The researchers from McGill and Maryland found that affluent or otherwise desirable neighborhoods around the country appeared to be much larger in the eyes of landlords advertising their properties on Craigslist than they were according to less biased third parties like Google Maps or city planning departments. Meanwhile, landlords who advertised rental properties in areas with lower-income, nonwhite communities were less likely to include the neighborhood's name in their listings."A single neighborhood name invokes a whole lot of different connotations or feelings for people," Grant McKenzie, a geography professor at McGill who was a member of the research team, told me. Landlords are all too aware of this effect — mention a neighborhood that has a negative connotation, and "it immediately jumps out in the listing," McKenzie said. The solution? Spin up new shorthand to drum up interest in an old neighborhood. But here's where things get cringey. In 2017, real-estate brokers in the historically Black New York neighborhood of Harlem sparked backlash when they tried to rebrand its south end as SoHa. Years earlier, Hakeem Jeffries, then a Democratic lawmaker in the New York State Assembly, had proposed legislation to ban neighborhood renaming, claiming the practice artificially inflated housing prices."Neighborhoods have a history, culture, and character that should not be tossed overboard whenever a Realtor decides it would be easier to market under another name," Jeffries told The New York Times in 2011.In some cases, a new neighborhood name might signal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/miami-climate-change-gentrification-flooding-housing-crisis-real-estate-prices-2024-4">it's already too late</a>. Davidson told me that once a neighborhood has a lot of cachet, shortening its name, á la SoHo, can be a way of formally announcing its arrival."For better or worse, and I think often worse, it is a way of signaling exclusion and signaling that a certain kind of people are living in that neighborhood," Davidson said. "That can have consequences for gentrification or displacement."The SoHa controversy isn't unique to the Big Apple — in Denver, many developers proudly tout their buildings' locations in the River North Arts District, or RiNo, without mentioning that the district is a relatively new creation overlaid on part of the historically Black neighborhood of Five Points. The South Congress strip in Austin used to be home to a brothel and porn theater; today, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/14-best-austin-texas-neighborhoods-people-moving-2021-5">visit to SoCo</a> might include a splurge at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hermes-gen-z-resale-birkin-bag-2024-4">Hermès store</a> or a stroll past the members-only <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-soho-house-member-club-worth-fee-2024-3">Soho House</a>. For developers, brokers, or whoever else is behind these rebrands, the abbreviations are a kind of compromise, McKenzie said. They're not total erasures, but they're clearly designed with a fresh start in mind."It's an attempt to adjust things without blatantly coming in and putting a brand-new name that has nothing to do with the region," McKenzie said. "By shortening it to this sexy acronym, you're able to sort of mask a bit of the historical name that maybe has some negative connotation."Whatever the rationale behind some of these rebrands, it's hard to argue with the results. In the case of SoCo, a thriving retail district is certainly preferable to its seedy past. Louisville's NuLu neighborhood, which eventually caught on among other residents, has received more than half a billion dollars in investment since Holland coined the term around 2006, he told me. Bob Dylan's whiskey company is opening a restaurant, bar, and live-music venue there. The times are indeed a-changin'.I'm not a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yimbys-winning-lower-house-prices-rents-build-more-homes-neighborhoods-2023-9">NIMBY</a>. We need to build a lot more homes across all price points, and we need developers to move <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-build-infrastructure-transportation-housing-regulation-environment-2023-11">mountains of red tape</a> in order to make it all happen. At their best, new neighborhood names bring people together over a shared sense of pride in their little corner of the world. But at their worst, they're cynical chess moves designed to grease the wheels of gentrification.Along the way, these neighborhood names have veered into parody territory. In "How I Met Your Mother," Marshall and Lily buy an apartment in the fictional neighborhood of Dowisetrepla before realizing its name stands for Downwind of the Sewage Treatment Plant. When a "South Park" character urges his fellow citizens to revamp their town, the result is a new shopping district called SoDoSoPa. Like any good piece of satire, these names aren't too far off from their real-life inspiration. When a Redditor posts a map of Charlotte with a reference to WeLoSo (West of Lower South End), it can be hard to tell if they're kidding.But while jokes at the expense of Scrabble-tile neighborhood names have been around for years, I think we're destined to see a groundswell of new targets as pandemic-era transplants settle into their chosen <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remote-workers-flooding-zoomtowns-causing-affordable-housing-crisis-2022-5">Zoomtowns</a>. I'm not saying that neighborhood names should be set in stone — in fact, I think it's natural for them to evolve alongside their populations. But I think our cities, and their residents, deserve better than the lazy rebrands we've seen of late.Recently, one X user wondered aloud whether a section of Brooklyn's East Williamsburg neighborhood, outlined on a map in a yellow box, was worthy of a new name given its appeal to a specific kind of tech professional. The post drew some earnest comments ("East Willy!") and plenty of backlash ("i'm begging u pls don't make this a thing"). But one reaction, from the downtown gadfly known as Nolita Dirtbag — his own moniker a reference to the neighborhood that gets its name from a mashup of North of Little Italy — asked simply for a little introspection."Listen to yourself, man."<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/james-rodriguez">James Rodriguez</a> is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Discourse team.

The awful real-estate trend that's sweeping America

According to <keyword id="19911893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Meesho" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Meesho" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Meesho">Meesho</keyword>'s recent ‘Smart shopper report’, <keyword id="19919711" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gen-Z" source="keywords">Gen Z</keyword> is rapidly embracing <keyword id="19990771" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-commerce" source="keywords">e-commerce</keyword>, with one in every three Meesho users being less than 25 years old. This makes them the fastest-growing demographic on the platform. The report also highlights that mass consumers, who typically make low-price purchases, account for around 80% of the total online shopping population in India. Reports suggest that by 2030, mass consumers, who are constantly seeking value for price, will dominate the retail market, constituting 65% of total consumers. At present, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are leading the way, when it comes to user growth in e-commerce, underscoring the significant untapped potential these states hold. The report also delves deeper into the evolving habits and preferences of mass consumers. Meesho has observed that users from Tier IV and smaller cities are the most frequent repeat shoppers under categories like women’s fashion, footwear, and baby care. Additionally, over 80% of Indian online shoppers now hail from tier-2 cities, and beyond, which include places like Ambur, Rourkela, Sangli, and Zirakpur. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112333596" title="Zomato announces new feature for cash on delivery orders and it can help solve a huge problem" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Influencer-driven <keyword id="3295571" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="e-commerce-boom" source="Orion">e-commerce boom</keyword> in North-East</h2>Furthermore, the report reveals that customers in northeastern states of India such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim are increasingly basing their e-commerce purchases choices on content generated by influencers, making up for an impressive 40% of all orders from these states. Meesho has also witnessed greater digital inclusion, with a growing number of content creators emerging from some of the most remote regions of India, like Bazpur (Uttarakhand), Kotputli (Rajasthan), and Pakyong (Sikkim). With the growing popularity of content creators, products like selfie sticks, ring lights, microphones, and tripods have also quickly risen to top the electronics category. Another notable feature Meesho identified was a significant rise in the adoption of vernacular languages and voice search, with rates increasing by 162% and 40%, respectively. This surge reflects mass consumers' strong preference for regional languages and user-friendly features. Tier 2 and other, smaller cities have significantly outpaced Tier 1 cities when it comes to ordering electronic accessories, making double the amount of purchases made by their bigger, urban counterparts. Meesho has also seen substantial demand for products like bluetooth headphones and earphones, power banks, smart speakers, screen magnifiers, and keyboards from diverse Indian cities such as Alwar (Rajasthan), Bettiah (Bihar), Pursurah (West Bengal), Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh), Sindkheda (Maharashtra), and Sirsa (Haryana). Among the fastest-growing categories on Meesho are books, which grew by 148% YoY (year-on-year basis) growth, office supplies and stationery (137% YoY growth), home improvement (112% YoY growth), furnishings (92% YoY growth), and pet supplies (68% YoY growth). There has also been a surge in demand for personal care and grooming essentials. <h2>A shift towards quick draping</h2> In just six months, over 10,00,000 saree shapers and more than 60,000 ready-to-wear sarees were sold, indicating that consumers far prefer a quicker, easier approach to traditional draping. There was a clear penchant for traditional and modern alike, since Banarasi was the most sought after fabric, followed by chiffon and organza. <h2>Self-care on the rise</h2>With increasingly hectic schedules, mass consumers are also prioritising self-care. As a result, there has been a rise in at-home salon treatments, with Meesho reporting sales of 6,00,000 face packs, over 4,00,000 facial kits, 3,00,000 wax strips, 4,00,000 press-on nails, and 4,00,000 nail paints this year. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112364583" title="Ola wants to re-enter the quick commerce business to take on Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Not just this, yoga also made it to list, when it came to self-care. Meesho reported selling about 20 lakh yoga mats in just 6 months. And not just that, skipping and hula hooping also seems to be coming back in vogue, with consumers buying around 2 lakh skipping ropes and 75,000 hula hoops this year alone. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/article/5-lessons-startup-founders-can-learn-from-tech-mogul-elon-musk/articleshow/112375922.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">5 lessons startup founders can learn from tech mogul Elon Musk</a>

India’s e-commerce boom: Gen Z, small cities, and self-care trends on the rise, says Meesho

India’s appetite is increasing day by and day and the <keyword id="20676228" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-services-industry" source="keywords">food services industry</keyword> is on a sizzling plate, projected to grow by 10-12% annually for the next seven years, according to a recent study by <keyword id="19896956" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swiggy" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Swiggy" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Swiggy">Swiggy</keyword> and <keyword id="19922375" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bain-Company" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bain &amp; Company" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Bain &amp; Company">Bain &amp; Company</keyword>. This translates to a potential customer base of 45 crore people by 2030! <keyword id="20039605" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-food-delivery" source="keywords">Online food delivery</keyword>, in particular, is expected to grow at an even faster rate with a compound annual growth rate of 18%. Fueled by a growing population, more eating-out occasions, and a wider variety of food options, India's culinary landscape is undergoing a delicious transformation — delicious for the service providers. But what of the consumers? While the study reveals a fascinating diversity in <keyword id="22275323" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="how-india-eats" source="Orion">how India eats</keyword>, it also indicates that the top 50, or Tier 1, cities presently account for 70% of food consumption. This wouldn’t be a problem if eating food from outside weren’t basically synonymous with eating unhealthy food. To exacerbate this problem, statistics suggest that this trend will soon seep into the Tier 2 and 3 cities of the country as well. Further, 70% of consumption came from upper-middle to high income households. As per the study, GenZ and other youngsters represent a significant chunk of the food consumption pie – a whopping 40%! <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="109113406" title="Millennials and Gen Z&amp;#39;s trendy new splurge: groceries" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Growing up in the age of smartphones and social media, Gen Z is comfortable navigating the digital world to discover new restaurants and cuisines. They're not afraid to experiment, venturing beyond traditional family favorites and trying over three different cuisines and six restaurants in a year! While GenZ appreciates good food, they also prioritise value for money. Online food <keyword id="20039606" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delivery-platforms" source="keywords">delivery platforms</keyword> allow them to compare prices and offerings before placing an order. Furthermore, this generation is expected to dine out more often as their disposable income increases. The rise of online food delivery has revolutionized the way India eats. It has not only extended our eating hours (think late-night cravings!). With changing lifestyles, mid-meal snacking is becoming a popular trend. This opens doors for innovative brunch and evening snack options, requiring restaurants to adapt their opening hours. Delivery platforms have seen an increase in people ordering food items like chicken biryani, fried rice, butter naan, masala dosa and Margherita pizza, among other things, during odd-hours of the day and night. Convenience, taste, and price are now the holy trinity of ordering decisions. Food delivery platforms have intensified competition by making restaurant discovery and comparison a breeze. However, the rise of these food delivery platforms can have a direct impact on the health of Indians, and judicious use of them is advised. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111758782" title="Zomato and Swiggy increase platform fee by 20% – food deliveries to get costlier" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Swiggy report says GenZ contributes to 40% of food consumption; highlights recent trend of binge-eating

India's government <keyword id="21309215" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare-spending" source="keywords">healthcare spending</keyword> appears to be on the rise, but a closer look reveals a concerning trend. While the headline figures might suggest an increase, the reality is a steady decline in health expenditure as a proportion of both the <keyword id="19936553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget" source="keywords">budget</keyword> and GDP over the past five years (2018-19 to 2023-24). This decline is even starker when adjusted for inflation. In real terms, spending has barely kept pace since 2019-20. As a percentage of the total budget, health spending has shrunk from 2.4% in 2018-19 to just 1.9% in 2023-24. Similarly, the share of GDP allocated to health has fallen from 0.30% to 0.28%, as per a report from the Times of India. <h2>Growing expectations ahead of <keyword id="15478236" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget-2024" source="Orion">Budget 2024</keyword></h2>As the Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> prepares to present the full budget for the current fiscal on July 23, the expectations from the health sector has only been growing. “The Union Budget 2024-25 is a pivotal moment for India's healthcare sector. Building on the ₹64,180 crores allocated in 2023-24 under the Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana, we need enhanced tax incentives and financial support for healthcare startups to catalyze innovation. Significant investments in <keyword id="21226679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-health-infrastructure" source="keywords">digital health infrastructure</keyword>, particularly AI, will improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency,” says Dr Sravani Reddy G, Founder &amp; CEO, Soprav Healthcare Consulting. “Strengthening public-private partnerships will improve healthcare accessibility and quality, leveraging private sector efficiency. Additionally, focused efforts on affordability and access, such as reducing out-of-pocket expenses and improving insurance coverage, are vital for a more equitable healthcare system.” “The healthcare sector in India is on the brink of excellence. There is an increased focus on treating unique patient cases, robotic surgeries, and increasing prominence of AI for accurate diagnosis. To reach the next phase, emphasis must be laid on innovation, research &amp; development, and infrastructure development. These are the foundations for India’s health sector to achieve an international standard of treatment for all,” hopes Joseph Pasangha, Group COO, SPARSH Hospital, Bengaluru. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111730426" title="Pan-India rollout of U-WIN to track routine immunisations likely by Aug end" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Health tax not helping enough </h2>This situation is further complicated by the introduction of the <keyword id="22446013" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-cess" source="keywords">health cess</keyword> in 2018. This tax levy was intended to boost government spending on healthcare, particularly for the underprivileged. However, the collected funds seem to be merely filling the gap created by cuts to regular budgetary allocations for health. In 2022-23, over Rs 18,300 crore of the central government's health spending came from the health cess. Excluding this amount, the actual budgetary allocation for health stands at a concerning Rs 59,840 crore. This is lower than the pre-pandemic level of Rs 66,042 crore allocated in 2019-20, even without adjusting for inflation. <h2>Where's the money going?</h2>The intended purpose of the health cess seems to be falling short. In 2018, health spending accounted for 2.4% of the government's total expenditure. If this ratio had remained constant in 2023-24, the health budget should have been over Rs 1.07 lakh crore. Instead, the revised expenditure, including the health cess, stands at just Rs 83,400 crore. Even the additional allocations for the COVID-19 pandemic (Rs 10,655 crore and Rs 15,955 crore in 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively) cannot mask the overall decline. When combined with the regular health budget (excluding health cess), the total spending in these years still falls short of what it would have been if the 2.4% share of 2018-19 had been maintained. <h2>More for alternative medicine</h2>While the share allocated to Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga &amp; Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) has seen a significant increase, spending on crucial areas like health research has seen only marginal growth. Additionally, a major portion of research funding goes to the Indian Council of Medical Research, with only a temporary increase during the peak of the pandemic response. The most concerning decrease is in the allocation for health and family welfare, encompassing national programs, the National Health Mission, and health system strengthening. This critical area has seen a substantial decline in its share of both GDP and total budget expenditure, falling from a peak of over 2% in 2017-18 to a mere 1.7% in 2023-24. Excluding the health cess, this figure drops even further to 1.5%. <h2>What this means</h2>This decline in government health spending raises serious concerns about India's commitment to public healthcare, particularly for its most vulnerable populations. Increased investment in health is crucial for a growing nation like India, and a reversal of this downward trend is essential to ensure accessible and quality healthcare for all. The 2024 Interim Health Budget saw a boost in total healthcare expenditure from Rs. 79,221 crore to Rs. 90,171 crore. Experts have opined that The healthcare budget should encompass at least 2.5% of the total budget. But it remains to be seen how the exact picture will turn out to be on July 23. “The 2024-25 budget presents an opportunity to build on past successes while addressing shortcomings, ensuring that India's healthcare system remains resilient, innovative, and patient-centric. This budget can pave the way for a healthier, more equitable future for all," concludes Dr Reddy. (With inputs from TOI) <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111689743" title="Union Budget 2024: A handy FAQ guide to decode the upcoming budget" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

You Searched For "population trends" and got 11 results

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