Changes

[[File:Elon Musk Demographic Crisis is real.jpg|thumbnail|350px|“One of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birth rate and rapidly declining birthrate.” - [[Elon Musk]]<ref>[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/dec/14/demographic-winter-the-plague-of-the-century/ Demographic winter: The plague of the century], Washington Times, 2021</ref>]]

[[File:Elon Musk Demographic Crisis is real.jpg|thumbnail|350px|“One of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birth rate and rapidly declining birthrate.” - [[Elon Musk]]<ref>[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/dec/14/demographic-winter-the-plague-of-the-century/ Demographic winter: The plague of the century], Washington Times, 2021</ref>]]

In the first quarter of the 21st century '''global fertility rates''' plummeted to record lows all over the industrialized world, and this has serious implications for the future. Native populations fell in wealthy countries, and there are not enough young workers to support the [[entitlement]] programs that the elderly are counting on.  Meanwhile, nations where birth rates are still above replacement level (such as in the [[Islamic]] world) are becoming more powerful and will play a more dominant role in world affairs.  Despite all of [[the West]]'s advanced [[technology]], [[population]] numbers still matter, a demographic collapse of epic proportions became imminent.<ref>https://www.vox.com/23971366/declining-birth-rate-fertility-babies-children</ref>

In the first quarter of the 21st century '''global fertility rates''' plummeted to record lows all over the industrialized world, and this has serious implications for the future. Worldwide, the fertility rate has fallen from an average of 5 births per woman in 1950 to 2.3 births per woman in 2021.<ref>[https://www.unfpa.org/swp2023/too-few#:~:text=Since%201950%2C%20global%20average%20lifespans,births%20per%20woman%20in%202021. The Problem With Too Few], United Nations</ref>

 

Native populations fell in wealthy countries, and there are not enough young workers to support the [[entitlement]] programs that the elderly are counting on.  Meanwhile, nations where birth rates are still above replacement level (such as in the [[Islamic]] world) are becoming more powerful and will play a more dominant role in world affairs.  Despite all of [[the West]]'s advanced [[technology]], [[population]] numbers still matter, a demographic collapse of epic proportions became imminent.<ref>https://www.vox.com/23971366/declining-birth-rate-fertility-babies-children</ref>

According to data from the [[United Nations]], total world population still continues to rise, but population is declining in all major nations, where fertility rates have fallen below the minimum population replacement rate. [[Africa]] is the only continent where the population continues to grow. According to birth rates and without counting immigration flows, population is now falling in [[Australia]], [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], [[China]], [[India]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], [[New Zealand]], [[Russia]], the [[United States]], and all [[European]] [[nation]]s except [[Monaco]] and the [[Faroe Islands]].<ref>https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/MostUsed/</ref>

According to data from the [[United Nations]], total world population still continues to rise, but population is declining in all major nations, where fertility rates have fallen below the minimum population replacement rate. [[Africa]] is the only continent where the population continues to grow. According to birth rates and without counting immigration flows, population is now falling in [[Australia]], [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], [[China]], [[India]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], [[New Zealand]], [[Russia]], the [[United States]], and all [[European]] [[nation]]s except [[Monaco]] and the [[Faroe Islands]].<ref>https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/MostUsed/</ref>