The United States was not the only nation that experienced this spike in population growth. A number of Allied countries: Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand experienced similar population increases after the war.

Because of this phenomenon, the United States has a very different age dynamic than much of the rest of the world. Whereas most countries find the largest segment of the population falling between the ages of 1-25, the United States has a disproportionate number of people in the 55+ age category. This large cohort of older citizens has put something of a financial strain on the country's social security system, which pays a large portion of their retirement income.

The baby boomer generation is important in American history for a number of reasons. It is this generation of people who went on to become what was known in the 60s and 70s as 'hippies'. Because of their large numbers, the baby boomers had a tremendous sway on the political sphere when they reached maturity. They had a tremendous impact on a number of American policy issues, most noticeably involvement in the Vietnam War. The baby boomer generation was able to attach so much controversy to the war that it forced American withdrawal from Saigon in 1973.