We’re in the midst of a global fertility crisis: The UK’s fertility rate has hit an all-time low of 1.44 children per woman, mirroring a global trend as societies across the world become richer and more secular, The Guardian writes. Most countries have fallen below replacement-level fertility of 2.1 children per woman — the level at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next.

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ICYMI- Om El Donia is no exception: Egypt’s fertility rate has declined to 2.54 children per woman in 2023 from 3.5 in 2014. The population hit 107 mn on Saturday, growing by 1 mn in 268 days. By contrast, the population’s previous 1 mn increase took only 250 days. Director of the Planning Ministry’s demographic center Amira Tawadros told EnterpriseAM that the drop reflects the government’s successful family planning efforts through the National Family Development Program, which works across all state entities and utilizes digital tools to lower birth rates.

The global population is also aging: While fertility rates are declining, life expectancy is rising, with the demographic makeup of the UK, Europe, North America, and most of Asia transforming radically, the news outlet writes. For instance, the ratio of people of working age to people of retirement age in the UK has dropped from over five workers to one retiree in the 1950s to just three workers for every retiree today, with the ratio expected to approach 1.7 workers per retiree by the end of the century.

Some argue the double whammy weighs on public finances: The demographic shift exacts a toll on fiscal revenue and public expenditure, tilting the scales between the number of people who pay taxes and those who receive healthcare and pension support. Demographer and author Paul Morland argues that countries with the largest aging populations — such as Greece, Italy, and Japan — have some of the highest levels of government debt to GDP, in part because aging cohorts require significantly more health spending than the working-aged.

Others praise the shift as an ecological boon: Plummeting fertility rates are a “cause for celebration,” argues Population Matters CEO Amy Jankiewicz, explaining that forecasted rates of population growth are “not sustainable” given their adverse impacts on the environment and wildlife.

Immigration offers a myopic solution at best: To address workforce gaps, European countries have relied heavily on immigration. However, this policy raises its own challenges, including political backlash and concerns about draining talent from developing nations. Additionally, Morland argues that to sustain this policy, almost 50% of the UK’s population would have to be foreign-born by the end of the century.

One response has been a surge of pro-natalism: Morland is among the advocates of natalism, a philosophy which promotes increasing birth rates via either choosing to have a larger family or supporting state policies that encourage high fertility. States that have adopted pro-natalist policies are increasingly subsidizing daycare and extended parental leave in order to lower the perceived and actual costs of childbearing — while those in predominantly poorer, high-fertility countries seek to limit their childbearing in the face of high costs.

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