Topic Reading-Vol.3023-7/21/2020
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Topic Reading-Vol.3023-7/21/2020
0422-27-5366
〒180-0006 東京都武蔵野市中町2-3-5 IIHA武蔵野1階
電話受付/月〜金 9:00-18:00
Topic Reading-Vol.3023-7/21/2020
Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Fertility rate: ‘Jaw-dropping’ global crash in children being born
There were about 2.5 billion people living on the planet in 1950 when women were having 4.7 children on average. Now, there are three times more people, and the population keeps increasing even though women are having an average of 2.4 children, much fewer than in the previous century. The problem is that the fertility rate is declining in many countries around the world, save Africa. As a result, researchers predict that the world population will peak at 9.7 billion around 2064 and start declining. Also, the fertility rate stays below the replacement level of 2.1 in most countries while people live longer and longer. Consequently, while the population of under-fives is predicted to decline from 681 million in 2017 to 400 million in 2100, the number of over-eighties is going to increase from 141 million to 866 million during the same period. In short, 681 vs. 141 to 400 vs. 866. This means that the world is going to face very serious social and economic challenges to sustain the rapidly aging societies. For example, instead of restricting immigrants from other countries, many countries may have to compete to attract young people from Sub-Saharan Africa. There may be no room for racial discrimination, but age barriers may arise instead.
Environmentally, the fewer the better the number of humans is, but sociologically, that could pose significant challenges to sustaining societies.
Enjoy reading the article and think about how human ingenuities could cope with this population problem.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53409521
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