Tom Purcell: More children needed

Digitalization as a Grand Strategy for Countries with Declining Populations

Declining population is a key challenge for First World countries today, which results in ageing societies with shrinking workforces. According to the 2024 forecast of the United Nations, populations of countries such as Japan or South Korea can decline by as much as 15–20 per cent in the upcoming 30 years. In the European Union, the average Total Fertility Rate (TFR) was as low as 1,38 in 2023, while in Hungary it was 1,55. As a TFR of 2,1 is n…

One big reason for fewer babies: phones?

A deserted children’s playground is seen at a kindergarten on March 20, 2025, in Nova Kozacha, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. | Yevhen Titov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images All across the world, people are having fewer children. The birth rate is declining quickly in countries ranging from the United States to Finland to Mexico and Turkey. Fertility data used to be a fairly esoteric concern. Not anymore. Vice President JD Vance talks about it r…

Eight children were born per 1,000 inhabitants, the lowest since 1922.

Tom Purcell: More children needed

It’s a growing concern that world leaders, economists, and even Pope Francis have warned about: people aren’t having enough children. Across the globe, birth rates are plummeting below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, the minimum needed to maintain a stable population. Countries such as Japan, Italy, and even the U.S. are now facing shrinking workforces, aging populations, and economic uncertainty as a result. Pope Francis, too, …

Commentary: More children are needed

It’s a growing concern that world leaders, economists and even Pope Francis have warned about: people aren’t having enough children. Across the globe, birth rates are plummeting below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, the minimum needed to maintain a stable population. Countries such as Japan, Italy and even the U.S. are now facing shrinking workforces, aging populations and economic uncertainty as a result. Pope Francis, too, has…

Tom Purcell - Declining birth rate concern

It’s a growing concern that world leaders, economists and even Pope Francis have warned about: people aren’t having enough children.