The demographic charecteristics of emerging generations

We are in the midst of a generational landmark, as Australia’s “Digital Integrators” (Generation Z) begin to enter the workforce and Generation Alpha move through their schooling years.

Below we provide an explanation of each of these generations and some interesting facts about them.

Generation Z

The students of our world today who are currently at school and university are the children of Generation X, the cohort that follows Generation Y, and who are born between 1995 and 2009.

They are Generation Z.

Generation Z is the largest generation ever, comprising around 20% of Australia’s population and almost 30% of the world’s population.

Globally there are almost 2 billion of them.

They are the first fully global generation, shaped in the 21st century, connected through digital devices, and engaged through social media.

Generation Z facts

• Also known as ‘generation connected’ or ‘dot com kids’
• 1 in 2 predicted obtaining a uni degree
• By 2025, will make up 27% of the workforce
• Predicted to work 18 jobs across 6 careers and live in 15 homes in their lifetime
• There are 2,000,000,000 Gen Zs globally
• Use slang like ‘Fam’, ‘FOMO’ and ‘YOLO’

Generation Alpha

Following our Gen Zeds are our pre-schooler and kindergarteners of today – Gen Alpha.

Born since the year 2010, they are the children of the Millennials, and there are 3 million of them in Australia.

They are the first generation who will be entirely born and shaped in the 21st century, and the first generation that we will see in record numbers in the 22nd century as well.

They are logged on and linked up – known as ‘digital natives’.

They are the most materially endowed and technologically literate generation to ever grace the planet!

Generation Alpha facts

• 2.8 million Gen Alpha’s born around the globe each week
• Most popular boys' names: Noah, Oliver and William
• Most popular girls' names: Olivia, Ava and Amelia

What will Australia look like in 2034, the year when the first cohort of Generation Alphas is in their early 20s?

1. The population of Melbourne will be 5.9 million (that’s larger than the whole of Victoria today).
2. Australia will have reached 32 million (up from 25 million currently).
3. The global population will be 8.8 billion (that’s twice what it was when the parents of Generation Alpha were born in the early 1980s).
4. India will have surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation.
5. There will be more Australians aged over 60 than under 20 for the first time in our history (a sign of our ageing population).
6. Australia’s median age (where half the population is younger and half is older) will be 40. It was 29 when the parents of Gen Alpha were born.
7. The most common household type will be the couple, no kids households, for the first time ever eclipsing the nuclear family of today (couple with children).

About Mark McCrindle Mark McCrindle is principal of McCrindle and a social researcher, a demographer, futurist and social researcher with an international following. His passions lie in tracking emerging issues and researching social trends analysing customer segments. Find out more about McCrindle