Posted on 09/22/2025 8:45:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Fertility rates have plummeted worldwide over the past six decades, leading experts to warn of dire consequences as the downward trend continues.
Continued low fertility rates will cause “a gradual implosion of the world’s economy as the population ages and dies,” Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, told The Epoch Times in an email. Mosher is an expert on population control, demography, and China.
“This will not occur overnight, of course, but once it is well underway it will be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse course,” he said.
Fertility rates (the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime) are different from birthrates (the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population over a given period), although the terms are related and often used interchangeably.
Countries with low fertility rates are also likely to have low birthrates.
Macroeconomist Jesús Fernández-Villaverde called low fertility rates “the true economic challenge of our time,” in a February report for the American Enterprise Institute.
In 1960, the average woman bore four or five children in her lifetime. By 2023, that number had halved to 2.2, approaching 2.1, the replacement level—or the level at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next.
In July, the U.S. Census Bureau projected that the world’s population will reach 8.1 billion this year. Experts say although the figure has grown from 3 billion in 1960, the number to watch is the pace of population growth.
The bureau stated that “the rate of growth peaked decades ago in the 1960s and has been declining since and is projected to continue declining.”
Fernández-Villaverde warned that while the sagging rate of growth may not have immediate consequences, in less than half a century, declining fertility will impact the world economy. Countries with low or negative birthrates will contend with a shrinking workforce and the ballooning costs associated with an aging population.
Only about 4 percent of the world’s population reside in a country with a high fertility rate—more than five children per woman—and all of those nations are in Africa, the Census Bureau noted. Even in those countries, fertility rates are generally lower than they once were.
The bureau reported that nearly three-quarters of the world’s population live in countries where fertility rates are at or below the replacement level.
The fertility rate in India, the world’s most populous country, has steadily declined over the past six decades. In June, the UN Population Fund reported that India’s fertility rate stood at 1.9 children per woman, down from five or six children in 1960.
In 1990, China’s fertility rate was 2.51, despite its one child policy. By 2023, it had dropped to less than one birth per woman, according to the United Nation’s population division.
In the United States, fertility has undergone a persistent decline. It fell below the replacement level in 1972 and reached 1.62 in 2023, a historic low.
Asian and European countries have the lowest fertility rates in the world, and South Korea (0.72), Singapore (0.97), Ukraine (0.977), and China (0.999) all have rates below one.
Across much of Europe, North America, and Eastern Asia, fertility rates have fallen below replacement level.
In the Western world, the decline in fertility rates that began in the 1960s coincided with the advent of oral contraception, the legalization of abortion, and the widespread adoption of no-fault divorce.
In the United States, the first oral contraceptive was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1960. Within five years, the birth rate in the United States had already declined “substantially,” a report from the National Fertility Study indicated. By 1976, the U.S. fertility rate had fallen to a record low of 1.7.
In 1973, abortion became legal in the United States following the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. At the time, a handful of other countries had also legalized abortion, including the UK, Norway, and Singapore.
The United States’ decision was followed by several countries including Denmark, South Korea, France, West Germany, New Zealand, Italy, and the Netherlands. Today, only 22 countries completely ban abortion.
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In 2125, America will be majority Amish (the PA Dutch kind....)
Let the birthrate plummet to hell. Who needs humans when we got AI and robots. AI and robots are more intelligent, obedient, don’t need benefits or time off or wages, don’t sue for discrimination or harassment, don’t complain, don’t jump ship. Humans are quickly getting similar to Windows NT.
Corporations, ask AI and robots to buy your products.
Governments, ask AI and robots to pay your taxes for the old timers social security.
Militaries, ask AI and robots to fight your wars.
Countries, ask AI and robots to uphold your values, culture and traditions.
Religions, ask AI and robots to attend your houses of worship.
Future utopia will be a few brilliant tech billionaire CEOs with an all-robot populace fulfilling their every whim.
Gee, no one saw this coming. /s
As long as feminist supremacy & gay ideology rule in the United States this trend will continue in our country.
The only way out, is an economic change that favors essential producers over the 50 or 60 years of globalist “make work” employers & employees.
The ideological & economic stupidity in this country didn’t happen overnight or by chance.
These tax and debt slavers need to keep their investments going.
Until we are replaced by Muslims.
The Zero Population Growth (ZPG) Organization was founded in 1968 by Paul R. Ehrlich, Richard Bowers, and Charles Remington.
The estimated world population by 1970 was 3.6 billion.
Yet, the world has survived and now has an estimated 8.1 billion — with an impending population crisis due to a lowering birthrate.
These people need crises to justify their appeals for governmental and private funding. Without such crises, they would lose their jobs.
The current global population isn’t problematic in regards to how capital & labor markets work or how civilization is maintained.
If there is a problem it’s 30-60 years in the future.
Wealth production(automation & robotics) should stay solid, but the maintenance of future assets might take a hit with tighter labor markets.
The alarm seems to be coming from the economic prognosticators who need cheap labor to keep the spice flowing.
Until we are replaced by Muslims.
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Which is very unlikely. The mosque isn’t replacing the church in any areas that matter.
They usually frequent urban areas full of white liberal atheists & foreigners.
Oddly this is why we need immigration, but the right kind of immigration. I want the skilled and educated from other nations that want to become part of the American culture and beliefs and want to become Americans and our beliefs as my wife from Mexico. She became educated in our universities with more than one degree and grabbed the American Dream. Oddly her father paid for out of nation tuition which is even higher than out of state tuition. He was a wise man. He gave his daughter a great life by his wisdom and I a wonderful wife.
I am a gringo that grew up on the border and also speak Spanish.
Nonsense. There are near 9 billion people. Nearly 3 times as many when I was born. Governments need to stop giving welfare on the financial backs of people not even born yet. Is it really our responsibility to breed so some bureaucrat can find more government for the sake of the economy? NO.
Bill Gate$ is thrilled.
Don’t worry. Elon’s on it!
Seriously, I was reading about the genetic bottleneck in eons past where mankind was reduced to mere thousands on the planet ... And somehow we survived. Pretty amazing,huh?
“...in 2125, America will be majority Amish...”, and have the World’s greatest Barns and Furniture.
its all about keeping debt-based monetary system, and bloated government debt afloat.
I take this very personal. I got old and now when I see a really hot Chick, I ,think to my self, gosh it’s great to have a boat to go fishing. Instead of worrying about meeting her dad.
AMEN.
Abortion is the reason why birthrates are low. It is a demonic stronghold on our nation that can only be broken by believers’ true repentance and a return to God. May God forgive U.S. and heal our land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
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