Birth rates in the developed world, particularly in Europe, have been in free fall. The U.S. is the exception, with fertility rates holding at just about replacement. A report in the Washington Post has new data showing a bit of a turnaround. European countries are still below replacement but the downward trajectory has reversed. Japan and Canada are still spiraling down.
Fertility rates are taken by some observers to be a proxy on public attitudes towards the future and self-absorption. Pessimism reigns in Russia, so it's no wonder the population is shrinking by 750,000 each year. Hedonistic lifestyles in Holland, for example, may contribute to view children as a burden interfering with the good life. (Fear for a future under Islamic law may be a reason as well.)
The chart accompanying the article is interesting.
