Socioeconomic differences in the lifecycle deficit in Spain and consequences for the Demographic Dividend (Elisenda Rentería Pérez, Guadalupe Souto, and Ció Patxot)

The Demographic Dividend refers to the impact of changes in the age structure of a population, depicted by the dependency ratio, on economic growth. The National Transfer Accounts methodology makes it possible to improve the measure of age dependency by introducing the concept of economic dependency and using the ratio of producers over consumers instead of working-age groups over non-working age groups. The relationship between producers and consumers can be further decomposed into the contribution of each educational group. Here, we decompose the Demographic Dividend into the change of age structure along with the composition of each educational category, showing that an expansion of educational attainment among producers can have a positive impact on economic growth.

Guadalupe Souto-Nieves is an Associate Professor at the Universitat Autonoma Barcelona in Spain. Concepció Patxot Cardoner is an Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona in Spain.