'Generation Beta' Has Arrived

It may seem odd that we started naming generations so late in the alphabet—ie, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z—but at any rate, we've already circled back to the beginning with Generation Alpha, the current cohort of kids born between 2010 and 2024. Now, the next generation is kicking off, with an unsurprising name also picked up from the Greeks: Generation Beta, signifying individuals set to be born this year through 2039, reports Axios. The outlet notes that Beta, along with Alpha, are the only generations born entirely within the 21st century, with a good portion of the former demographic also likely to make it to the 22nd century.

It's estimated that Generation Beta—which will for the most part be the offspring of Gen Z (those born between 1995 and 2009) and younger millennials (1980-1994)—will produce about 2.1 billion people, according to social researcher Mark McCrindle. By 2035, this demographic will make up about 16% of the global population, per McCrindle's estimates. And Gen Beta will be just as heavily influenced by technology as Gen Alpha, nicknamed the "iPad kids," per Business Insider.

"While Generation Alpha has experienced the rise of smart technology and artificial intelligence, Generation Beta will live in an era where AI and automation are fully embedded in everyday life—from education and workplaces to health care and entertainment," McCrindle writes on his blog. Looking ahead, he's also pretty sure he knows what the generation after Beta will be called: Generation Gamma, set to cover individuals born between 2040 and 2054, per USA Today. (More Generation Beta stories.)