Diaper sales depend a great deal upon demographics. In Japan in 2012, for example, the sales of adult diapers surpassed numbers for baby diapers for the first time. Several years of declining birth rates combined with a large and increasing elderly population likely created this situation. Though Japan seems to be leading the way in terms of this particular trend, other countries may be following in their footsteps. In the US, for example, children's diapers sales declined, likely due to the country's recessionary problems and declining birth rates since 2007. If these rates remain low, as the baby boomer generation continues to thrive, the US could follow Japan's statistical trend for diaper sales.

More about diapers and the population:

• While 2011 US diaper sales declined, the number of diaper rash cream purchases increased.


• To save money, some families use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones because they can be washed and reused.


• In 2011, about 23% of Japan's total population was age 65 or over; by 2020, Japan's elderly citizens could make up as much as 30% of its population.

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