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Americans are having 16 percent fewer babies than the amount needed to maintain the current population level, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The big question is: should we view this as good or bad news?
The numbers found by CDC researchers for America’s “total fertility rate” is the biggest drop in recent history. The rate has been declining steadily for seven years.
This trend has also been occurring throughout the developed world, including Western Europe.
In 2014, there were 1,862.5 births for every 1,000 women of childbearing age. From there, the numbers have continued to decline:
According to the CDC, America’s “total fertility rate” needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age over their lifetime to maintain the population at its current numbers.
According to experts on the matter, the decline in America’s birthrate is due to the combination of a wide variety of factors including:
Depending on whom you ask, the report of a slightly declining population level could be viewed as good news or bad news. For a military wanting to keep its numbers up, it’s probably bad news. But after years of talk and warnings about spiraling overpopulation, the report could be viewed as good news.
Maintaining a population or reducing it slightly would slow the draining of natural resources, offering hope that there will be resources left available for future generations.
