Birth rates have been falling in the United States for the past 10 years, to the tune of a 20% decline just between 2007 and 2020.
So, what does that mean besides fewer women are having children? Data analysts say if the decline continues we will soon have fertility rates that are lower than replacement levels. One reason for this is that women are birthing at later ages than before; the unknown factor is whether they’ll catch up by having more children at a later age.
The pandemic played a big part in the past year’s decline, according to a Brookings report, with 40,000 fewer babies being born by the end of 2020 than there would have been without the pandemic. “Additional data that comes out over the following months will reveal how the path of the pandemic and associated recession played out for women and couples and their childbearing over the course of the year,” according to Brookings.
The U.S. is not alone in this: Other high-income countries are experiencing the same declines. Not only that, China is too: In fact, China is so concerned about its falling rates that they’ve increased the number of children couples are allowed to have.
From restricting them to just one child per couple a little over 30 years ago, to easing up in 2015 to allow two children, China now says couples can have three. Officials said one reason for this was because the older age population was growing so much faster than the working age — meaning fewer young people will be supporting an ever-growing number of older people.
SOURCES:
Brookings May 24, 2021
Brookings May 5, 2021
AOL/AP May 31, 2021