With a growing global population, what is the impact on Norfolk going to be? More importantly, what will the impact be on Norfolk's young people?

We are often taught in school about Norfolk's ageing population and the impact this will have, such as extra demand on the NHS, increasing isolation and care costs.

According to Norfolk Insight, in 2013, Norfolk's total population was 870,100, with 39%, or 346,000 people, over 65 or under 15. So, the Norfolk population is growing and ageing.

So what will happen when the balance changes in the future? It looks like there will be fewer young people working harder to cover the costs of an ageing population. Will we have to lower pensions or lower the money put into the education system and reduce support for young people? We won't know until we get there but for now we need to keep working hard and enjoying life.

However, a larger working population comes with its own problems. Yes you've guessed it, jobs! In 2013, 14,985 people were claiming unemployment benefits. So is it going to be harder for people to get jobs? The simple answer would be 'yes', which puts more pressure on the working age population. So unless more jobs can be created then there could be a future with more economic problems. Let's hope for all of our young people that this is not the case.

Connor Lake, 15, Dereham