{"id":2325943,"date":"2024-08-17T12:43:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T16:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-works-and-what-doesnt-how-nations-are-addressing-low-birth-rates-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-17T12:57:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T16:57:35","slug":"what-works-and-what-doesnt-how-nations-are-addressing-low-birth-rates-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-works-and-what-doesnt-how-nations-are-addressing-low-birth-rates-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"What works and what doesn\u2019t: How nations are addressing low birth rates &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-works-and-what-doesnt-how-nations-are-addressing-low-birth-rates-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2325943&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the global\u2063 issue of\u2062 declining birth \u2063rates, focusing primarily \u2064on the United States, which \u2064recorded its lowest fertility\u200d rate since 1979 at 1.62 in 2023, far below the replacement level of 2.1 needed \u2063to\u200c maintain its population. This decline has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/theyre-enslaved-tucker-carlson-warns-against-americans-increasingly-replacing-religion-with-politics\/\" title=\"\u2018They\u2019re Enslaved\u2019: Tucker Carlson Warns Against Americans Increasingly Replacing Religion With Politics\">long-term trend<\/a>, exacerbated by societal \u2063changes such\u200c as women prioritizing education and \u200ccareers over early motherhood.\u2062 Predictions \u200cindicate that by 2064, more people may die than \u200dbe born in many countries, with 198 out of 204 countries forecasted\u2063 to \u2064experience population decreases by 2100.<\/p>\n<p>Countries such as France and Poland have implemented pro-natalist policies aimed\u2063 at encouraging higher \u200bbirth rates, offering incentives like cash payments to\u2062 families. In contrast, Singapore \u2064is addressing the \u200caging population by raising retirement ages and investing in healthcare for older citizens rather than promoting higher birth rates. Canada has pursued an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-mayor-furious-when-buses-of-illegal-immigrants-show-up-in-his-city-says-theyre-not-welcome-here\/\" title=\"Democratic mayor angered by arrival of undocumented immigrants, declares they are unwelcome in his city\">open immigration policy<\/a> as a strategy to counteract its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/review-eurotrash-why-america-must-reject-the-failed-ideas-of-a-dying-continent\/\" title=\"REVIEW: \u2018Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent\u2019\">low birth rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Experts warn that these \u200bdemographic \u2064shifts will \u2062significantly impact the global economy, workforce,\u200b and societal structures, necessitating transformative adjustments in \u2063policies and social organization.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">What works and what doesn&rsquo;t: How nations are addressing low birth rates<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1647282\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/pressroom\/nchs_press_releases\/2024\/20240525.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report<\/a> finding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pregnancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fertility rate<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>United States <\/a>fell in 2023 to its lowest levels since it began tracking the data in 1979.<\/p>\n<p>While the U.S. experienced a 1% boost in births during the pandemic, between 2020 and 2021, fertility rates have been on the decline for decades &mdash; with a consistent 2% decline each year from 2014 to 2020.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The fertility rate &mdash; which measures the number of live births per child-bearing-age woman &mdash; in the U.S. was 1.62 in 2023. This is far below the 2.1 child per woman replacement rate needed in order to sustain the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-and-iowa-cities-become-first-to-request-special-second-census-count-similar-to-2020\/\" title=\"Illinois and Iowa cities seek second census count, like 2020\">current population size<\/a> of the U.S.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is predicted that 2064 will be the first year in centuries where more people will die than will be born. By 2100, 198 out of 204 countries are predicted to see a drop in their population size.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not just the U.S. seeing a decline in its birth rate. The <em>Lancet<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdata.org\/news-events\/newsroom\/news-releases\/lancet-dramatic-declines-global-fertility-rates-set-transform#:~:text=The%20global%20TFR%20has%20more,per%20female%20as%20of%202021.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>found<\/a> that in 2021, over half of all countries and territories were below the population replacement level of 2.1 births per female.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With a shrinking population comes a smaller workforce that is crucial in sustaining the economy. Less people participating in the economy could lead to less innovation,&nbsp;stagnation and even recessions.<\/p>\n<p>And while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/quincy-institute-fellow-denies-muslim-uighur-genocide\/\" title=\"Quincy Institute Fellow Denies Muslim Uighur Genocide\">birth rate declines<\/a>; people are living to be older and older. The International Monetary Fund found that by 2050 a wealthy nation will be spending 21% of its GDP to meet the needs of its elderly population.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The implications are immense,&rdquo; Natalia V Bhattacharjee, co-lead author of the Lancet study, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2024\/3\/21\/nearly-every-countrys-population-will-be-shrinking-by-2100-study-warns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Al Jazeera<\/a>. &ldquo;These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganizing societies.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Nations promoting policies that will encourage its citizens to have more children is not a new concept. For instance, France became one of the first pro-natalist countries in 1939 when it passed the &ldquo;Code de la famille&rdquo;<strong> <\/strong>which included a variety of measures such as granting mothers cash incentives to stay home with their children, additional cash payments after having their third child, and a laundry list of other benefits.<\/p>\n<p>The Institute for Family Studies <a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/is-there-hope-for-low-fertility-demographic-rearmament-in-southern-europe#:~:text=France's%20pronatal%20policies%20undertaken%20between,woman)%20throughout%20the%20last%20century.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>found<\/a> these policies likely have caused the fertility rate among French to be .1 to .3 more children per woman in the last century. Those policies have been attributed to the birth of several million people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While France possessed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/612074\/fertility-rates-in-european-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fertility rate<\/a> of 1.79 in 2023 &mdash; well above the European average of 1.5 &ndash; it still is failing to meet the replacement fertility rate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Researchers largely attribute this decline in fertility to the fact women are more focused on pursuing education and careers. In France, 81% of women are employed, and are delaying having children until they&rsquo;re 30, with many deciding to not have children at all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Like France, Poland has adopted its own pro-natalist agenda in 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.pl\/web\/family\/public-consultation-of-the-demographic-strategy-2040-is-to-be-started\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>known<\/a> as Demographic Strategy 2040. The plan intends to achieve a multitude of targets to strengthen and support the family unit and also remove barriers for people who want to have children.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In China, the government created a college degree program in matrimony, which includes a curriculum centered around wedding planning, matchmaking services, and marriage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The country, which had a one-child policy in place from 1980-2016, is just now approaching a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/blog\/chinas-population-decline-continues#:~:text=Statistics%20suggest%20that%20China's%20total,trajectory%20is%20far%20from%20unique.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fertility rate<\/a> of 1.0. At its current rate, the country is positioned to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/economy\/economic-indicators\/article\/3272021\/chinas-population-facing-largest-absolute-population-loss-un-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lose<\/a> half of its population by the end of the century.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Just last week, China floated the idea of making it easier for couples to get married with plans to no longer require couples to register at their household locations. The government is also attempting to make divorce more difficult by establishing a 30-day &ldquo;cooling-off period&rdquo; before divorce can proceed.<\/p>\n<p>However, not all countries are focused on promoting pro-natalist policies as a solution to the looming crisis &mdash; some are looking to those on the other end of the spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>Singapore <a href=\"https:\/\/sbr.com.sg\/hr-education\/exclusive\/singapores-plan-raise-retirement-age-sparks-debate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>announced<\/a> its plans to raise the retirement age to 64 by 2026 and then to 65 by 2030. In addition, re-employment opportunities for older workers will increase to 69 by 2026 and 70 by 2030.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The country is also heavily investing in providing the highest quality medical care to its population in order to ensure the country has &ldquo;healthier cohorts who can continue to work,&rdquo; according to Angelique Chan, the executive director of Singapore&rsquo;s Centre for Ageing Research &amp; Education.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it is fundamental for the whole world to get over the idea that older people are entitled to an indefinitely long period of leisure at the end of their life,&rdquo; Chan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c72p2vgd21no\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> BBC News. &ldquo;People are healthier, vigorous, cognitively sharper, and ready to go on much older ages than used to be the case. I hope to see retirement ages rising well into the 70&rsquo;s.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, in an effort for businesses to tap into the older generation to meet their needs, Ang Tze Phern, partner for the Employment Group at Rajah &amp; Tann, told the Singapore Business Review this might be more costly in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Raising the retirement and re-employment age can lead to higher business costs, medical costs, and the need for adjustments to workplace and hiring policies. Increased business costs may be incurred by employers who implement seniority-based wage practices,&rdquo; Ang said.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, other countries, including Canada, have embraced an open immigration policy in an effort to combat its declining birth rates.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign-born people make up a quarter of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Canada<\/a>&rsquo;s population, and the government intends to welcome 500,000 immigrants each year by 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The ambitious goal comes as the country seeks to boost its workforce size as it faces an increasing aging population and a fertility rate of just 1.3.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, some Canadians have expressed concern about the economic strain that asylum-seekers and other refugees place on the system. For instance, the rapid growth in Canada&rsquo;s population from immigrants has actually led to a rise in housing prices.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Rapid increases put pressure on health care and affordable housing,&rdquo; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/ircc-immigration-housing-canada-1.7080376\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>found<\/a>. &ldquo;Settlement and resettlement service providers are expressing short-term strain due to labor market conditions, increased levels and the Afghanistan and Ukraine initiatives.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This report mirrors issues found in major cities like New York and Chicago, which have found themselves on the hook in taking care of hundreds of thousands of migrants.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1647282\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1647282\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**What Works and What Doesn\u2019t: How Countries Are Tackling Low Birth Rates**<\/p>\n<p>In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report indicating that the fertility rate in the United States dropped to its lowest point in 2023 since data tracking began in 1979. Although there was a slight increase of 1% in births during the pandemic between 2020 and 2021, fertility rates have been declining for decades, with an annual decrease of about 2% from 2014 to 2020. The U.S. fertility rate stood at just 1.62 in 2023, significantly below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman necessary to maintain population size. Projections suggest that by 2064, more people will die than be born for the first time in centuries, with nearly all countries expected to see population declines by 2100.<\/p>\n<p>This trend is not unique to the U.S.; according to The Lancet, over half of all countries and territories were below the replacement level of births as of 2021. A shrinking population leads to a reduced workforce essential for economic sustainability; fewer participants can result in decreased innovation and potential economic stagnation or recessions. Meanwhile, life expectancy continues to rise\u2014by mid-century, wealthy nations may allocate up to one-fifth of their GDP towards supporting an aging populace.<\/p>\n<p>Natalia V Bhattacharjee, co-author of The Lancet study, emphasized that these shifts will profoundly alter global economies and power dynamics while necessitating societal restructuring.<\/p>\n<p>Countries have long implemented policies aimed at encouraging higher birth rates. France pioneered such initiatives with its &#8220;Code de la famille&#8221; legislation passed in 1939 which included financial incentives for mothers who stayed home with their children among other benefits; this has reportedly led French women to have an additional .1 to .3 children on average over the past century despite still falling short of replacement levels (with a current rate of about 1.79).<\/p>\n<p>Similar efforts are seen in Poland&#8217;s Demographic Strategy launched in 2022 aimed at bolstering family support systems while removing obstacles for prospective parents. In China\u2014a country previously enforcing a one-child policy from1980-2016\u2014the government is now promoting marriage through educational programs focused on wedding planning and matchmaking services as it faces a plummeting fertility rate nearing just above one child per woman.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, some nations are exploring alternatives rather than pro-natalist policies; Singapore plans on raising retirement ages progressively by targeting age thresholds between64-70 years old within this decade while investing heavily into healthcare improvements aimed at maintaining older workers&#8217; productivity levels.<\/p>\n<p>However, experts warn that increasing retirement ages could lead businesses into higher operational costs due primarily due seniority-based wage practices associated with older employees\u2019 re-employment opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile Canada has opted for open immigration policies as part solution against declining birth rates\u2014aiming towards welcoming half-a-million immigrants annually by year-end twenty-five\u2014to counterbalance its low fertility rate currently sitting around only at approximately\u00a01.3 children per woman despite concerns regarding housing affordability pressures stemming from rapid population growth driven largely through immigration influxes similar issues faced across major urban centers like New York City or Chicago dealing directly with large migrant populations seeking refuge status amidst ongoing crises globally<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2325944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1468831818-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[38389,38388,38390],"class_list":["post-2325943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-demographic-trends","tag-low-birth-rates","tag-national-policies"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1468831818-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2325943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2325944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2325943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2325943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2325943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}