Polycrisis Amplifies Inequality in Demographic Shifts

Converging crises—pandemics, conflicts, economic shocks, and climate change—intensify global inequalities, disproportionately burdening vulnerable populations in least developed countries amid youth bulges and urbanization. Recent analyses underscore the need for global social epidemiology to dissect these interactions, revealing how structural oppression and interconnected shocks erode health equity and social stability. Without systemic interventions, this polycrisis risks entrenching a lost demographic dividend, with profound implications for GDP growth and governance worldwide.