The Financial Times reports that the demographic issue cannot be solved by the incentives provided by governments worldwide to encourage higher birth rates, although, without these measures, the problem would be even worse. It cites examples from countries such as China, Hungary, Denmark, and Japan, which have offered various incentives, such as subsidies, tax breaks, and even AI-powered matchmaking apps, but have failed to reverse the decline in population.
The problem affects countries across all continents for different reasons, and experts cannot find a definitive solution. In China, for example, the one-child policy, which was in place until recently, has “conditioned” society to this model.
A survey by Prorata found that the main reason Greeks are not having children is economic uncertainty.
In other countries, a combination of personal choices, where women no longer feel obligated to have children, and various socio-political conditions (e.g., economic uncertainty and political instability) keep birth rates low. According to estimates, by 2100, only 12 countries (11 in Africa and 1 in the Pacific) are expected to have enough births to maintain their population levels (2.1 births per woman).
Economists predict that demographic trends, such as a shrinking workforce and a growing retiree population, will slow global economies in the coming years. According to the Financial Times, the main alternatives to increasing birth rates in Western countries are raising the retirement age or increasing immigration, both of which carry significant political costs.
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