I don't know how Satoshi saw that, but the fact that the inflation of bitcoin is programmed over 130 years, gives you an idea of the sort of time scale he had in mind.
Over half the potential Bitcoins have already been mined. 64%, actually. That gives a sense of the real time scale involved.
Although 64% of bitcoins have been mined, the increase in money supply (percentage terms) far exceeds the increase in money supply of fiat in most countries.