ACROSS THE GLOBE, fertility rates are falling. Most industrialized countries are already below the replacement rate of 2.1 children born to the average woman; many more will fall below that crucial mark in the next 25 years. By 2080, world population will probably have peaked around nine billion, after which it will sharply contract (see “The Population Sink).
Why are people having fewer babies with every passing year? The answer is complicated.
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