The decline in fertility, which began in the 1960s, coincided with societal change including rising divorce rates and legalized abortion.
Fertility rates have plummeted worldwide over the past six decades, leading experts to warn of dire consequences as the downward trend continues.
Continued low fertility rates will cause “a gradual implosion of the world’s economy as the population ages and dies,” Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, told The Epoch Times in an email. Mosher is an expert on population control, demography, and China.
“This will not occur overnight, of course, but once it is well underway it will be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse course,” he said.
