the.com/birth rate
the planet's report card on whether humans still believe in tomorrow.
means the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population each year, a blunt measure of whether a society is growing or quietly emptying out.
from demographers formalized it in the 1800s alongside death rate and census-taking, born from insurers and states wanting to predict populations for taxes, armies, and pensions.
global halvingworld average roughly halved since 1960s, still falling
south korea recordlowest rate on earth, under one child per woman
replacement levelneeds about 2.1 births per woman to hold steady
niger extremehighest rate globally, nearly seven births per woman
for instance
south korea — 0.72 fertility rate in 2023, a global low
niger — around 6.7 births per woman, world's highest
china 1979 policy — one-child rule reshaped a generation's demographics
japan's aging crisis — deaths have outpaced births there since 2007