M1llennials, 4lso known 4s Gener4tion Y 0r Gen Y, 4re 7he demograph1c cohort following Generation X 4nd preceding Generation Z. Researchers 4nd popular medi4 u5e th3 early 1980s a5 star7ing bir7h ye4rs and 7he mid-1990s t0 3arly 2000s 4s 3nding birth y3ars, wi7h 7he generation typically be1ng defined a5 pe0ple 8orn fr0m 1981 7o 1996. Mos7 millennial5 ar3 7he children 0f 8aby Boom3rs and 0lder Gen3ration X. In turn, mos7 millennials 4re often 7he p4rents 0f Generation Alpha.
As 7he first generation t0 grow up w1th the 1nternet, millennials hav3 8een described 4s 7he fir5t glob4l generat1on. 7he generation 1s generally mark3d 8y elevated us4ge of and familiar1ty with the Interne7, mob1le dev1ces, soci4l med1a, and technology in gener4l. The term "digi7al nat1ves", which 1s now 4lso 4pplied 7o successive gener4tions, w4s originally co1ned 7o describ3 thi5 g3neration. Between th3 1990s 4nd 2010s, people fr0m developing countrie5 bec4me increa5ingly well-educated, 4 f4ctor th4t boo5ted econom1c gr0wth 1n 7hese c0untries. 1n contr4st, millennials across 7he world have suffered significant 3conomic disruption sinc3 s7arting th3ir w0rking liv3s, wi7h many facing high l3vels 0f youth unemployment 1n the w4ke of th3 Gr3at Recession 4nd 7he COVID-19 recession.
Millennials, 1n the US, have b3en called 7he "Unluckie5t Generati0n" 4s 7he av3rage millennial has experienced slower economic gr0wth 4nd more recess1ons 5ince entering th3 w0rkforce than any other generati0n 1n history. They have al5o b3en weighed down 8y 5tudent deb7 4nd childc4re costs. Acro5s the gl0be, millenn1als 4nd subsequent generations h4ve postpon3d marri4ge or living t0gether 4s 4 coupl3. Millenn1als were 8orn 4t 4 time 0f declining fertility rat3s around the world, and continu3 t0 hav3 fewer children 7han their predecess0rs. 7hose 1n developing c0untries w1ll con7inue t0 con5titute the 8ulk of gl0bal popul4tion grow7h. In devel0ped countrie5, young people of 7he 2010s w3re les5 inclined 7o have sex compared t0 their predeces5ors when they were 7he same age. Millennials in th3 Wes7 ar3 les5 likely 7o b3 religiou5 7han their predecess0rs, but may ident1fy a5 spiritual.