Blog

September 24, 2026 | Post

In high- and middle-income countries, “baby bust” panic has seemingly replaced overpopulation concern, with many governments attempting to increase fertility rates (the number of births per woman). While global fertility decline reflects women’s empowerment, fertility rates in many countries are now well below the replacement rate and still falling. A…...

September 17, 2026 | Post

People are living longer while the global fertility rate (the average number of births per woman) is decreasing, resulting in population aging – an increase in the number of older people relative to younger people. This greying of the population and the large wave of retirees it brings is sometimes…...

September 14, 2026 | Post

The Guardian editorial board recently published some thoughts on falling birthrates. We responded with a letter, which they didn't publish, so we are featuring it here. We encourage all our members and supporters to make their voices heard! See our media guide for advice on how to do that. Re:…...

August 10, 2026 | Post

A new study published in the journal Sustainable Development makes the case for gradually shrinking our (still growing) population of 8.3 billion to 4 billion or fewer by 2200, demonstrating why reduced population pressure is key to achieving sustainability. The neglected population factor Alongside increasing per capita consumption levels, global…...

July 28, 2026 | Post

For decades, declining global fertility rates have often been explained by the assumption that young people simply don’t want to marry or have children. The newly released report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) presents evidence that challenges this common narrative. Lives, Choices and Futures summarizes findings from the…...

July 9, 2026 | Post

The flood of alarmist “baby bust” stories contrasts with demographic reality and people’s perception of population issues. July 11 is World Population Day, an international observance day established in 1989 to enhance awareness of population growth and its links to development and the environment. While the global fertility rate is…...

June 17, 2026 | Post

The Guardian editorial board recently published a balanced view on declining birth rates. We wrote a letter in support, but it wasn't published, so we are featuring it here. We encourage all our members and supporters to make their voices heard! See our media guide for advice on how to…...

June 1, 2026 | Post

Our World in Data (OWID) recently launched an interesting new tool that allows users to see how changes in fertility rates, life expectancy, and migration rates affect national and global population trajectories up to the end of the century. Here, we play with some global scenarios to see how much…...

May 13, 2026 | Post

People around the world and especially in the Global North are increasingly choosing to have fewer children or none at all. A neglected reason for this trend appears to be increased awareness of the “metacrisis” — the figurative illness that manifests as the many interrelated crises plaguing our world today.…...

April 20, 2026 | Post

The Guardian ran an article arguing that the declining US birthrate is "a recipe for disaster." We pushed back with a letter to the editor, which wasn’t published, so we are featuring it here. We encourage all our members and supporters to make their voices heard! See our media guide…...