In the fall of 2022, demographers at the United Nations announced that the global human population had surpassed 8 billion people. Headline after headline repeated what most of us already believed: our numbers were spiraling out of control, threatening the health of our planet and everything on it.

Other headlines told a different story—one about looming and long-lasting labor shortages. How could it be that our population is propagating at an alarming pace if our labor force is contracting? Demographic Deception addresses this question. It explains how an examination of data like fertility rates and median age reveals we’re not at risk of overpopulation; rather, it’s underpopulation we should be worrying about.

Aging and declining populations will herald massive changes. Some could be positive, like lower carbon emissions and reduced demand for limited resources. But plummeting populations could also portend serious economic upheaval caused by too few working-age people producing too few goods and services.

Which changes occur, as well as their level of severity, will depend on how well we prepare. But we can’t plan for these changes if no one knows they’re coming. That’s the purpose of Demographic Deception: to expose the overpopulation myth, to inform readers about the possible effects of aging societies and population decline, and to initiate a conversation about what we might do about them. The sooner we plan, innovate, and adapt, the less disruptive and painful these coming changes will be. Indeed, if we play our cards right, they could even present some opportunities.

We must recognize what’s happening now. The numbers are playing out right before our eyes. It’s up to us to see them. It’s up to us to act.