Megatrend: Inversion of the Population Pyramid

Falling fertility and longer lives are shifting societies from young to old. Some countries are already shrinking, while others will keep growing for decades, and the effects reach pensions, healthcare, labour markets, migration and relations between generations.In this episode, Monika Volgyi, Advisor and Futurist at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, reads the chapter on Inversion of the Population Pyramid from the Institute’s new Megatrends report. Download the full report: Megatrends 2026: The foundations of long-term change

What makes a trend “mega”- and has the term become too loosely used to be useful? In this episode of Using the Future, host Toke Hanghøj goes behind the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies’ new Megatrends Report with working group members Casper Skovgaard Petersen, Martin Kruse and Simon Østergaard. They explore the concept’s origins, why it needed a clearer definition, and the methods and disagreements that shaped the report. The conversation also examines how organisations can use megatrends to challenge assumptions, explore ripple effects and uncover possibilities where different trends intersect. Download the full report: https://www.cifs.dk/read-listen/reports-knowledge/megatrends 

A narrated Q&A between the Institute and one of its clients, the Portuguese law firm Viera de Almeida, featuring Margarida Saragoça, Director for Business and Knowledge, and João Vieira de Almeida, Founder, Senior Partner and Chairman, Vieira de Almeida.Did this episode pique your interest? Read more about the Institute's advisory services.Narration: August Leo Liljenberg

We are joined by CIFS Director and Head of Health Aron Szpisjak to discuss his team's recently published scenarios forthe future of chronic respiratory diseases and nicotine consumption.Access the full report here: https://www.cifs.dk/read-listen/reports-knowledge/the-future-of-chronic-respiratory-diseases-and-nicotine-consumption

Hosts Toke and Casper are joined by Patrick Henry Gallen, senior futurist and one of the co-authors on our recently published scenarios outlining how the conflict over Greenland could end, and the geopolitical implications of each outcome.Read the full report here: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6632a4a102f9281cefbeeda3/696e415c85ffda70c5c3d364_Greenland%20Scenarios_web.pdf

A conversation with Tor Hernes and Majken Schultz from the Centre for Organization and Time at Copenhagen Business School on how time shapes organisational life.This is a narrated article from the Using the Future publication by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. Access the full publication here: https://www.cifs.dk/read-listen/reports-knowledge/using-the-future

On how to embed foresight in governance.This is a narrated article from the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies' Using the Future publication. Download the full publication here: https://www.cifs.dk/read-listen/reports-knowledge/using-the-future

What sounds like the set-up to a bad joke was actually a thoughtful encounter. This is how it went.This is a narrated article from the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies' Using the Future publication. Download the full publication here: https://www.cifs.dk/read-listen/reports-knowledge/using-the-future

Host Toke Hanghøj and co-host Simon Østergaard are joined by CIFS Associated Partner Joanna Lepore to discuss the challenges (and necessity) of doing corporate foresight.Joanna Lepore is a futurist and strategist renowned for her ability to infuse long-term foresight into corporate strategy. With a career spanning over 15 years, she has led foresight initiatives at leading multinationals like Mars Wrigley and McDonald's, helping these organisations anticipate and navigate future trends.

Using the Future host Toke Hanghøj in conversation with Senior Futurist Simon Østergaard - about CIFS' approach to foresight, the new Using the Future publication, and the evolving foresight landscape.