Step Aside, Boomers: Millennials to Be Biggest Generation

If you're aged between 18 and 34 this year, welcome to the biggest generation in the country. Millennials, approximately defined as those born between 1981 and 1997, will this year see their population's size surpass that of baby boomers for the first time: the millennial generation is projected to include some 75.3 million people, while boomers include 74.9 million, Pew Research Center reports. In between those two generations is Generation X, which is projected to be at its largest in 2018, with 65.8 million people. The figures are based on US Census Bureau projections.

Millennials, of course, aren't among those currently being born, but their numbers in the US are increasing due to immigration. Among baby boomers, the mortality rate is higher than the immigration rate, meaning the generation's numbers are shrinking overall. They were at their largest in 1999, with 78.8 million people; millennials will see their biggest numbers in 2036, when there are projected to 81.1 million of them, Pew notes. As for more recent births, some 61 million "post-millennials" were born between 1997 and 2012, Medical Daily notes. Millennials, the White House noted last year, are "the most diverse and educated generation to date." (While they've received their fair share of criticism, some have wondered whether millennials could be a new "greatest generation.")