Analysis
Falling Birth Rates Become A Global Mechanism
John Burn-Murdoch frames the fertility collapse as broader and faster than the old rich-country story: more than two-thirds of countries are now below replacement, and 66 are closer to one child per woman than two. The piece ties the newest drop to the gap between desired and actual family formation, with housing, fewer couples, technology-mediated loneliness and weaker partnership formation doing the work. The consequence is not just demography; it is growth, care systems and politics under more strain.
Source: FT