Population Wars

IS EUROPE DOOMED? Many Americans seem to think so, and the chief reason is demography: European countries have had low fertility rates for decades, and now they face spiraling population decline. By 2050, the European Union’s share of the global population is projected to plummet below 10 percent. (It’s now just over 20 percent.) The overall EU population is expected to fall by several million. Depending on their politics, certain Americans may mention this with a vague air of triumphalism (if not outright glee), boasting that the United States has superior birth rates and thus will avoid Europe’s demographic dilemma.