Is fertility collapse changing the world?
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From Baby Boom to Baby Bust
For most of the 20th century, population debates focused on rapid growth, “overpopulation” and pressure on resources. Today, the story is shifting. Global total fertility has more than halved since around 1950, falling from about 5 children per woman to roughly 2.2 in 2021. According to recent UN and Lancet‑linked analyses, over half of all countries already have fertility below the “replacement” level of about 2.1 children per woman needed to keep populations stable without immigration.
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