Falling Birth Rates in Europe Cause a Need for Migrants

A declining birth rate across Europe will soon leave the continent vulnerable to an unprecedented population void. Ireland is amongst them. The Times reports:

The European average of 1.5 births per adult female falls well short of the replacement figure of 2.1 identified by demographers. In Ireland, though the birth rate remains relatively high at 1.9, our status as the EU’s most fertile state is being eroded as the predominant age of childbearing shifts from the late 20s to early 30s. The change in the traditional role of women is a contributor, as the twin enticements of education and career persuade many to put off having a child.

Science magazine reckons that European population growth reached a turning point in 2000 when births dropped to a level that assures there will be fewer parents in the next generation than there are in this one. This is causing unease among economists, as it is widely accepted that a low birth rate goes hand-in-hand with economic decline.

Assuming constant mortality and no net immigration, a continuance until 2020 of the current fertility rate would result in 88m fewer Europeans by 2100. But this decline must be seen in the context of a world threatened by overpopulation. Fertility rates in many African countries exceed 6.0. The United Nations advocates replacement migration, asserting that the challenges posed by declining and ageing European populations require us to reassess our policies relating to migration.