Learn English – What does “a smaller number of people” mean

meaning-in-context

I understand every word in this sentence but I can't understand why the author wrote so. Can anybody explain it for me, please, maybe in terms of economics or something like that?

"Debt is a major risk for countries with aging populations, particularly once working age populations start to decline, as the debt burden will need to be financed by a smaller number of people," he said.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/19/emerging-asia-risks-growing-old-before-becoming-rich.html

Best Answer

As the comments point out, the meaning of "a smaller number of people" is pretty straightforward, as it simply means "fewer people".

The real question is rather what happens to those people, or why the author chose to use the word "financed". "Debt burden" is, in itself, a "set" idiomatic expression:

Debt burden n: the amount of debt that a particular country etc has, considered as a burden on its economy and people and a hindrance to their progress (Collins dictionary)

However it sounds like a metaphor, in which case "financed" should be replaced by some verb that more closely relates with the image of a "burden", such as "to bear" or "to carry" or "to reduce". Examples:

the debt burden must be borne by a smaller number of people

the debt burden must be carried by a smaller number of people.

the debt burden must be reduced by a smaller number of people.

All of these make sense metaphorically, whereas the verb "to finance" requires additional understanding not included in the sentence itself. A "debt burden" is usually not paid off all at once but rather financed over time through interest payments -- which must be paid by fewer earners as the workforce ages.

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