Why millions are choosing not to have children | The Population Bust

We establish that the global population, although still growing, is expanding at a drastically slower rate and is set to peak at 9 billion by 2050, followed by rapid declines, with birthrates plummeting much faster in some parts of the world than others. When most people think about low birthrates, they usually connect them with low fertility rates, but are growing levels of infertility really the main driver for plummeting birthrates globally? There's little evidence that's what's driving the baby bust. So what is?

Kenya, a country of 55 million people, had one of the highest birthrates in the world four decades ago at 7.6 children per woman. Today that number has tumbled to 3.3 as decades of social policies aimed at sexual education, more women entering the workplace and changing societal attitudes around women's traditional roles have taken effect.

In Brighton, England, we follow the headmaster of a school that will soon be closing because there are simply not enough children enrolling to justify its existence.

In his recent study, Declining Human Fertility and the Epidemic of Despair, biological anthropologist Michael Platt argues that technology is lowering US birthrates. The ubiquitous use of smartphones by young people is leading to more time alone and less time face to face with potential romantic partners.

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