A recent study predicts that, as access to contraception and education for girls expands, the world population will start shrinking, which will lead to a major realignment in global economic power, according to CNBC.

The report, published in the medical journal The Lancet, says that the world population will peak in 2064 at 9.7 billion before reversing to 8.8 billion by the end of the century. In 23 countries, including Japan and Italy, the population is expected to decrease by more than half, while 34 countries, including China, will see their populations shrink by more than 25 percent. As this happens, the study says, 183 out of 195 countries on earth will not have the population to support their economies. In this case, the study said, countries will need to adopt more liberal migration policies just to keep up. Further, it will change economic power as well: Although China is set to overtake the United States as the number one economy in 2035, the United States is projected to reclaim this spot by 2098 if immigration continues to sustain the workforce.

The pandemic likely will have a further impact on world population too, as a study from last month asserted that it will likely induce a baby bust, because the widespread economic damage will discourage people from having children, leading possibly to 300,000 to 500,000 fewer births in the United States next year. While the study noted that we do see birth rates spike after events when people are stuck home, such as blizzards or blackouts, both pandemics and economic recessions have historically had negative impacts on fertility, and right now the country is in the middle of both.