Asian fertility video

Marcus Roberts
November 21, 2013
Reproduced with Permission
Demography is Destiny

Hi everyone! Here is a short video from the Economist on the unprecedented fall on fertility rates in Asia. It's entertaining as its all done via infographics. You can see just how fast the fertility rates in various countries in Asia have fallen. As I've said before, I don't think we know what happens when a country's fertility rate falls so quickly. Or what happens when a country falls below the replacement rate of 2.1 for a sustained period.

Can countries raise their fertility rates or does the cultural norm of having fewer than two children become ingrained and incredibly hard to overcome? And what does it say about cultures that stop replacing themselves? Does it suggest a profound unease in the future and a lack of confidence? Does it suggest that some countries don't think their culture is wirth preserving and handing over to a new generation? Questions, questions...


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