2024-05-04 22:05:29
Countries like United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Uruguay, France, United Kingdom y Mexicohit historical record birth rates in recent months, despite the efforts of different governments to implement policies in favor of fertility.
Reproduction rates decreased a few years ago, unlike the last century when there was constant growth, part of the global trend, which previously occurred only in rich countries, which also forces us to rethink the measures.
For example, EU last year it recorded the lowest birth rate since 1979; Japan lost about 100 births per hour in 2023, the most in a year since comparable records began in 1950; France In 2023, it had the fewest number of births since 1946; while the countries of the Africa Sub-Saharan Africa will account for half of global births by 2100.
Japan and South Korea They recorded historic lows in their birth rates last year, a growing demographic challenge for the two Asian countries with declining populations.
In South Korea, the fertility rate fell to 0.72 in 2023, 8% lower than in 2022, according to preliminary official data. The rate is below the 2.1 children needed to maintain current population of 51 million.
In Japan, 2023 births fell for the eighth consecutive year to 758,631, a drop of 5.1% from the previous year. At the same time, the number of deaths was more than double the number of births, thus general population fell at 831,872. In addition, marriages fell in 2023 to their lowest level since 1933.
In Mexico, the crude birth rate decreased by 0.31 births per thousand inhabitants, a drop of 27% since 2011. This trend marks the lowest point in the country’s last ten years.
PUBLIC POLICY
In the case of South Koreahe Government invested billions of dollars in promoting birth among its inhabitants, with monetary subsidies, daycare services and support for fertility treatments. Still, fertility rates continue to decline.
In January of this year, the president Emmanuel Macron announced a “grand plan” to fight infertility and achieve “demographic rearmament” in France.
Among its measures to reverse the situation is a new paternity and maternity leave, which would replace the current “extremely short and poorly paid” one.
Despite these types of measures, experts agree that it is due to a situation of type cultural, psychological, biological, cognitive, difficult to reverse in the short term.
One of the most important occurred in China, which as of 2021 allows couples to have up to three children, ending its policy of only one imposed in 1980 due to fear of overpopulation.
Studies suggest that many couples prefer to have two or more children, but see the high cost of living as a significant obstacle.
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2024-05-04 22:05:29