Kenneth W. Gronbach... believes China will not be the economic powerhouse that many economists are predicting in the years ahead because the government, through its invasive population-control mandate, has systematically destroyed its future workforce.

Kenneth W. Gronbach is a demographer who examines our nation’s economy and, somewhat surprisingly, he is not predicting doom and gloom like so many economists, but boom and zoom.

Demographers are experts who study populations. Governments, businesspeople and consultants have long made demographic studies the bulwark of their trade to predict various outcomes, everything from demand for government services to the sale of consumer goods. “What are the ‘demos’ of the target market?” is a common question on Madison Avenue, including age, income, spending habits and a host of other details that identify you and me and every other resident in America.

Connecticut-based Gronbach, the author of “The Age Curve,” says, “Our current housing crisis was partially caused by baby boomers who wanted to sell their homes. They discovered that for every 10 sellers there were only eight buyers from Generation X,” the generation trailing behind the boomers.

“Demography trumps everything,” says Gronbach. “If you don’t have the people (read buyers) what’s the point?” If succeeding generations are smaller, it will drastically change everything from the marketplace to governments worldwide.

He believes China will not be the economic powerhouse that many economists are predicting in the years ahead because the government, through its invasive population-control mandate, has systematically destroyed its future workforce. The Chinese position in the world economy today is built on cheap labor and growth. However, growth will be severely diminished, Gronbach contends, because the country has an insufficient workforce in the wings as a result of its one-child-per-family policy.

Since its inception, the Chinese policy has prevented the birth of some 400 million people, primarily girls, the equivalent population of the United States and Mexico combined. Experts predict that 30 million young men have no prospect of finding a wife in China, which could have a major impact on productivity in of itself, and could lead to social unrest and an unstable marketplace. Gronbach predicts in 10 years the Chinese will be in economic chaos due to what he is calling the “biggest demographic, economic and humanitarian blunder in the history of the world.”

The problem with so many governments, says Gronbach, is that, while they consider many other demographic factors, they underestimate the impact of sheer numbers of people, or lack thereof.

In Europe, there has not been a government mandate across the varied countries to limit childbirth, but zero population growth has happened anyway, perhaps due to socialist leanings. “What the heck?” the popular sentiment may have been. “I don’t need children to take care of me, the government will.” Well, we all see how that’s working out.

The solution for the Europeans had been to fill so many open jobs with Muslim immigrants. On the face of it that may have seemed OK; immigrants are generally a good idea. But native Europeans have been discovering that Muslim immigrants do not always assimilate quickly and often have had greater cultural differences across so many different European cultures. You can’t blame the Muslims; there is hardly a roadmap. Think about what would happen here if every U.S. state spoke a different language and had such disparate cultural norms.

The uncertain dynamics in both China and Europe is why Gronbach believes the United States will have a significant advantage over both economic zones for years to come, ushering in a long period of sustained economic benefits for America.

So, what about our own workforce and immigrants? Gronbach says America’s long history of welcoming immigrant populations, provided we work out the illegal-alien debate, will continue to serve us well because most of our immigrants are coming from Mexico, Central and South America.

“The core strength of our country is faith and family, lose that and we lose the country,” he says, and the hardworking, religious, family-oriented folks coming from Latin America will benefit us, just as so many immigrants have in previous diasporas. “The United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and South America will thrive in the decades ahead because everyone is coming here.”

Other than in the Northeast, in the United States, we’re still having children. And that’s what bodes well for our future workforce. Even manufacturing will expand, predicts Gronbach.

The key is population growth. “Our birth rates and the influx of Latinos are saving our country,” he says. “Without kids you don’t have a country. Family is the new social security.”

Bruce E. Spitzer of Hopkinton is director of communications for the Massachusetts Bankers Association and author of the upcoming novel “Extra Innings” about baseball great Ted Williams returning to life through cryonics.