Falling Fertility Rates Around the Globe

Fertility rates are dropping in nations around the world. What was once a problem of the developed world is now impacting developing nations as well. Mexico and Iran have been hit, and Asian nations are feeling population decline powerfully. As columnist Shadi Hamid noted in the Washington Post, “More than two-thirds of the world’s countries have fallen below the replacement rate—the rate at which a population sustains itself without immigration, which is 2.1 children per woman” (June 3, 2026). Interestingly, “mothers aren’t necessarily having fewer children compared with a decade or two ago.” Rather, “fewer women are becoming mothers in the first place.”

Parenting is a lifelong job that requires parents to commit to serve and guide their children. However, as demographer Lyman Stone has pointed out, “the spread of ‘selfish norms’ has been made possible by digital technology.... Where you would once run out of things to do by yourself, now unlimited stimulation is offered to everyone with a phone in the comfort of their own room.” Stone further observed, “Never before in the history of humankind has so radical an experiment in social isolation ever been conducted on such a scale, and the effects on fertility are and will continue to be profound.”

Interestingly, Mr. Hamid identified one of the historical defenses against falling fertility rates as religion, which involves “tried and trusted ways to help individuals become less me-centered and more other-centered.” Being “other-centered” leads to spending more time with more people, valuing strong and lasting relationships, marriage, and children. These values run throughout the Bible and are fostered by healthy families. You can learn more by watching our thought-provoking telecast “The Divine Purposes of Family.”