charted
Insufficient Fecundity in Europe
The region needs immigration to help support a welfare system for a population that isn’t reproducing fast enough
This article is for subscribers only.
Without immigrants to replenish its ranks, Europe runs the risk of dying off, Eurostat data show. Every single country in the European Union suffers from a sub-replacement fertility rate, meaning that on average two parents have fewer than 2 children. Coupled with longer life expectancy, low fertility rates in Europe and the rest of the developed world present a major challenge to social security and welfare systems.