Why Native Americans are the exception to the population slowdown

While the era of the population boom is ending, Native American census data is way up

A pair of Native American men
At least 9.7 million Americans now identify as at least partially Indigenous
(Image credit: Visions of America / Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The general consensus across the world is that human population growth is declining, and while the United Nations estimates there will be 9.7 billion people on Earth by 2050, this figure "comes against the backdrop of a slowing global fertility rate." There is one demographic in the United States, though, where this parameter doesn't seem to apply: Native Americans

Data released in September from the U.S. Census Bureau, collected during the 2020 census, detailed population makeups for more than 1,200 previously uncharted racial and ethnic groups. While populations of most ethnic groups were shrinking on par with the rest of the world, Native American and Indigenous groups saw their populations "skyrocket 85% over the past decade," according to an analysis of the data by The Washington Post.

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Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.