The above example is not a complex one the context neither in vocabulary. But its sentences are composed in an unnatural way. So the question is: Are any native speakers with a bachelor degree able to flow the Economist as smooth as Wikipedia articles?

With regards to "any native speakers," this seems both subjective and over-broad. Individual opinions will vary, but for me the given example flows quite naturally and certainly smoother than most Wikipedia articles, which tend to have a rather broken pace.

Perhaps the problem is that is is too smooth for someone unfamiliar with this style in writing. Without the frequent breaks provided by full stops and the anchorage of simple verbs perhaps the ideas merge and one gets lost in the stream? Swimming in the ocean is different to swimming in a lake or even a river. Reading dense prose is not the same as reading simple prose, or even dense technical writing. Experience and familiarity are as important as education.

But to try to answer the question: I would expect that any native speaker with a bachelor's would be able to fully understand the given example by, say, the second or third reading if not the first.

The above example is not a complex one the context neither in vocabulary. But its sentences are composed in an unnatural way. So the question is: Are any native speakers with a bachelor degree able to flow the Economist as smooth as Wikipedia articles?

To answer the question: I would expect that any native speaker with a bachelor's would be able to fully understand the given example by, say, the second or third reading if not the first.

However, with regards to "any native speakers" this seems both subjective and over-broad. Individual opinions will vary, but for me the given example flows quite naturally and certainly smoother than most Wikipedia articles, which tend to have a rather broken pace.

Perhaps the problem is that is is too smooth for someone unfamiliar with this style in writing. Without the frequent breaks provided by full stops and the anchorage of simple verbs perhaps the ideas merge and one gets lost in the stream? Swimming in the ocean is different to swimming in a lake or even a river. Reading dense prose is not the same as reading simple prose, or even dense technical writing. Experience and familiarity are as important as education.

Complex, yes.
Artificial, no (at least not compared to scientific writing).
Unnatural, no.
Smooth, very.