Fertility rates around the world declining

Almost half of all countries, according to an unprecedented study published by The Lancet Journal. While there was a single nation with a fertility rate below 2.05 threshold back in 1950, the overall average is now only 2.4 – down from 4.7 about 70 years ago.

Differences between nations have become more pronounced, with some European countries having record-low rates for one child per woman on average, compared to six children in some African nations.

If you live in a country with high fertility rates, a decrease would be a reason for celebration. Lower fertility rates are easily accessible and contraceptive and prosperous economies, which explains why Europe, North America and Asia are disproportionately affected.

In fertility rates, however, the costs outweigh the benefits. Europe has struggled with this challenge for years. Even more so than the United States, European welfare largely depends on a sufficient number of working-age residents who can finance health care, pensions and social security for everyone. The fewer there are, the more complicated it became a system that was set up in a century when falling fertility rates were among the problems.

Some countries have taken drastic measures. Italy's Health Ministry launched a year ago to remind people that Sept. 22 was "fertility day." Other countries have sought to address the issue by focusing on education. In Denmark, for instance, schoolchildren are now taught to have babies with risks, but also with benefits.

But the study raises serious doubts over the impact of such policies or proposals. "Pro-natalist policies have been pursued in a wide range of countries," they wrote. Instead, they argue, an increasingly wide share of the world 's most divisive issue so far: migration.

Falling fertility rates are also increasing, as well as improving the overall impact, as a result of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Population growth rates in the United States have declined, and population growth has declined in most countries. The fertility rate in the United States is still at 1.8, and the population is still growing, thanks in large part to immigration.

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