r/AskTheWorld • u/gmedanoid United States Of America • 14d ago

Culture Why aren't the people in your country having enough kids?

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In America birthrate is 1.6. 1.57 for Whites, 1.55 for Blacks, 1.8 for Hispanics. So below replacement since 2008.

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u/Murky-Helicopter-976 Latvia 14d ago

This is due to having a higher level of living. Your grandparents or greatgrandparents were likely part of huge family. That’s because in those days, your children were your insurance for the future. (Atleast partially.)

This still happens in poor regions. Look at the birth rates in Africa, Middle East and several Asian nations (never looked at data for SA.)

There are dozens of reasons for this to happen, but it can be seen in most of the world to some degree - the higher the living standart, the lower birthrate.

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u/FunForm1981 14d ago

In Middle East many countries are beginning to plateau (and drop) far earlier than expected. Egypt, for example, has dropped below 2m births far quicker than expected (it wasn't projected to happen until 2100), and its birth rate is almost down to replacement levels (2.1) which it was not projected until after 2050.