The per-capita productivity growth rate in Japan the last twenty years has been around 1%/year (down from the 4-5% of the 1970-1990 era). At that rate, the aver

The per-capita productivity growth rate in Japan the last twenty years has been around 1%/year (down from the 4-5% of the 1970-1990 era). At that rate, the average worker in Japan will be 2.4 times as productive in 2100 than today. In the long run, productivity growth and technological changes will dwarf demographics. I'm not talking huge Mr. Fusion-style breakthroughs, just small improvements that we all see every day. The Radio Shack catalog from 1982 that was posted here a few days ago is a great example. The improvements since then happened so gradually that we don't even notice them until we look back 30 years.