, Columnist
Population Decline Isn’t the Problem. Hungry Kids Are.
Instead of fretting about a baby bust — or a boom — let’s do a better job of taking care of the children we have. And let women choose how many they want.
One is enough.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Humanity is about to turn a major population corner, according to a new estimate. A recent article in the Lancet predicts that by 2030, we’ll no longer be reproducing fast enough to replace ourselves.
We aren’t about to go extinct, but this is an unexpected trajectory. As recently as 2017, the United Nations predicted human numbers wouldn’t peak until 2100 when we’d reach more than 11 billion people. According to the new estimate, our numbers could rise from the current 8.1 billion to a maximum of just 9.5 billion before declining by the early 2060s.