But maybe the biggest change in social attitudes required are those towards immigration.
Particularly in East and South East Asia.
The decline is most apparent in South Korea, Puerto Rico and Singapore.
With Puerto Rico experiencing the greatest absolute decline.
But Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Portugal are very low.
Those countries with healthy replacement rates are all in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Nevertheless, this does mean that for the next 50 years the world’s population will continue to increase.
Even India, Indonesia and South Africa are heading towards the crisis.
Indeed, some 70% of countries on earth are below the population tipping point.
Historically population collapse is not unknown, indeed after WWI birth rates fell below replacement levels in the west.
In the long run populations have returned to a growth trajectory.
Indeed, only a few years ago we were concerned about a population explosion.
However, the scale of the current population decline is perhaps unique,
Would it be unfair to solely blame this on dating apps?
Yes.
Would it be unfair to solely blame this on technology?
Probably.
And this leads me to my real issue and that is that whatever has happened.
If society can no longer replicate itself there is something very wrong with society.
Like being unable to visit my dying mother.
Whatever the reason, surely this should make us stop and say what is the point of anything, if we cannot fulfil these basic human needs.
Now what is interesting is not so much that people are having fewer children.
But that a good many are now childless (as many as 40% in South Korea and 30% in most western countries).
It would seem that these are people who planned to have children, but kept putting it off.
In fact, if people have one child, they are much more likely to have another.
What are these issues that are putting people off having children?
We seem to be ever pushing back our adulthood and therefore our parenthood.
Most will point to economic pressure.
But maybe this simply reflects this trend of putting off adulthood?
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