Cohort comparison · -79-year gap
Baby Boomers was born 1946–1964 and Generation Beta 2025–2039, a gap of -79 years between the start of each cohort. In 2026 Baby Boomers is aged 62–80 and Generation Beta is aged 0–1. The clearest difference is that Baby Boomers is defined by post-war prosperity and the birth spike while Generation Beta is defined by generative AI as ambient infrastructure.
Born between 1946 and 1964 during the post-war birth spike. Boomers hold roughly half of global wealth while making up about 14% of the population.
The cohort born between 2025 and 2039 — the first generation for whom artificial intelligence is not a product they adopted but the environment they were born into.
Side by side
| Baby Boomers | Generation Beta | |
|---|---|---|
| Birth years | 1946–1964 | 2025–2039 |
| Age in 2026 | 62–80 | 0–1 |
| Cohort size | ~1.15bn | 2.1bn projected |
| Defining shift | Post-war prosperity and the birth spike | Generative AI as ambient infrastructure |
| Age in 2050 | 86–104 | 11–25 |
| Cohort length | 19 years | 15 years |
| Status | Closed | Open — still being born |
Baby Boomers covers births from 1946 to 1964 and Generation Beta from 2025 to 2039. Post-war prosperity and the birth spike defines the first; Generative AI as ambient infrastructure defines the second.
In 2026, Baby Boomers is 62–80 and Generation Beta is 0–1.
Baby Boomers is ~1.15bn and Generation Beta is 2.1bn projected.
There is no boundary between these two directly unless they are adjacent cohorts. Boundaries are conventions set by McCrindle Research, not official definitions, and other frameworks draw them a year or two apart.
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