Generation Z – The iGeneration Population, Age, and Ethnicity
October 25,
2019 by Laurie Northington in General 
During the next five years, over 20 million consumers tagged as Generation Z will pour into young-adult status with the leading edge surpassing the age of 21 this year, graduating from college and entering the workforce. This is the first factoid in a series of four factoids detailing the demographics and shopping preferences of the newest adult generation.
Researchers have been non-committal in defining the actual end of the Millennials and the beginning of Generation Z (also being called the iGeneration or iGen), but recently the generational research giant Pew Research Center has defined this cohort as being born between 1997 and 2012, a period of 16 years, matching the year span of Millennials and Gen Xers. Based on current estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Generation Z is currently about 8% smaller than Millennials and roughly 2% larger than the older Gen Xers, who are predominantly their parents. The impact of future immigration will swell their ranks further.
Ethnicity
Generation Z is the most ethnically diverse of all the generations preceding it. 48% of 6 to 21-year-olds in 2018 (Generation Z) are non-white, significantly more compared to 39% of Millennials in 2002, 30% of Gen Xers in 1986 and 18% of Early Boomers in 1968. As immigration continues to impact Gen Z, they are projected to become even more ethnically diverse falling below 50% white in the future. Because of this diverseness, early indications are that they are less judgmental and more accepting of cultural differences.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Statistics; “Uniquely Gen Z,” IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV)