cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/45445434
Fox News Senior Medical Analyst Marc Siegel made some eyebrow-raising comments lamenting that birth rates are down among teenagers aged 15 to 19.
On Thursday, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that the U.S. fertility rate fell to another record low. The agency reported that the number of births per 1,000 women of childbearing age declined from 53.8 in 2024 to 53.1 last year. The latest figure represents a continuation of a decades-long decline in fertility rates.
Siegel joined Friday’s edition of America’s Newsroom, where Dana Perino said that while the continuing trend is not surprising, “the numbers might feel a little shocking.”
As the standard of living rises, the birthrate initially increases. This was the boomer years.
Then birthrate falls because an industrialized society requires more resources per child. Eventually you reach a period of stagnation when the resources available match the number of children born.
Then in all capatilist societies, the standard of living declines which triggers the birthrate to free fall.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/jpn/japan/birth-rate
Japan peaked in the 1940’s, stagnanted in the '60-'70s and has been in free fall ever since.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/kor/south-korea/birth-rate
South Korea peaked in the 1950’s, stagnated in the '80s and 90’s and has been in free fall since.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/usa/united-states/birth-rate
The United States peaked in the 40’s-50’s. Stagnanted from the 1970’s to early 2000’s (bouyed by 1st generation immigration) and is now in free fall (due to immigration idiocracy).
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/fra/france/birth-rate
France followed the U.S. due with an extended period of stagnation due to 1st generation immigrants. It also has had a much slower decline in the standard of living versus the other countries which has bouyed up the birthrate.
Post-war/crisis baby booms are likely a seperate phenomenon, there’s some archaelogical evidence of them in similar situations - like in athens after the persian war there seems to have been a baby boom that helped fuel their rise to imperial power in the aegean.