Generation Beta Defined

Generation Alpha commenced being born in 2010, and 2024 marks the last year of their births. So, what comes next?

In the USA during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the alphabetical list of names was exhausted, so scientists looked to the Greek alphabet for names. This nomenclature of moving to the Greek alphabet after exhausting the Latin one has a long history with meteorologists. Scientists of all disciplines use the Greek alphabet as a labelling sequence and as sociologists in naming the next generation, we followed this nomenclature too.

In keeping with this scientific naming of using the Greek alphabet in lieu of the Latin, and having worked our way through Generations X, Y and Z, we settled on the next cohort being Generation Alpha – not a return to the old, but the start of something new. This made a lot of sense as Generation Alpha represented the first generation to be born entirely in a new century.

In keeping with the Greek alphabet, after Alpha comes Beta. And by 2035 Generation Beta will make up 16% of the global population.

Global population projections

Naming and labelling generations

Just as categorising generations comes from the domain of social science rather than popular culture, so naming them is best done scientifically, using letters (such as X, Y, Z, and Alpha). Other approaches to naming generations, using terms such as “millennials,” often define a generation around a single event and have vague birth ranges, leading to subjective analysis.

A sociological approach to generational analysis, using set birth years and non-descriptive labels, allows for more objective analysis and individual identity creation. This trend is set to continue with upcoming generations like Generation Alpha (b. 2010-2024), Generation Beta (b. 2025-2039), Generation Gamma (b. 2040-2054), Generation Delta (b. 2055- 2069), and so on. This standardized 15-year time span will enable future analysts to conduct more comprehensive analysis and global comparisons.

What do we know about Generation Beta?

Although Generation Beta haven’t been born yet, we can predict some things about them based on the context that will surround them. We anticipate that Generation Beta will be a technologically integrated generation, as well as a curious one, one that values diversity, embraces change and difference – because these are the themes of today that we expect to continue in the years to come. This is what we can predict, but of course, there will be things that arise that we can’t predict too.

The times, technologies and social events that we live through shape us all but are more defining for those experiencing them in their formative years. As Generation Beta arrives, we will watch these technologies and social events closely, to see what will shape this 21^st Century generation as they arrive, as they age and as they gain autonomy and influence.