London, England, Nov 10, 2018 / 06:01 am
A newly published study has found that nearly half of countries have fertility rates which are below replacement level, meaning that population size will decrease without immigration.
Published in the November issue of The Lancet, the study examines population and fertility by age and sex in 195 countries and territories between 1950 and 2017.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and part of the Global Burden of Disease analysis, the study found that the total fertility rates have decreased by more than 49 percent. The study states women on average are having a fewer babies in their lifetime – 2.4 as of 2017, compared to 4.7 in 1950.
To maintain population, the total fertility reate needs to be about 2.1.