The world’s population will likely shrink after 2050, according to an analysis, a potential threat to the global economy as declining numbers of working-age people hurt production and tax rolls.

It would be the first time in modern history for growth in the number of world inhabitants to halt, researchers said in The Lancet journal. Access to birth control and education for women will help drive fertility rates below the level needed to maintain current populations, the authors said.

Read the article by Jade Wilson