There are about 8.2 billion humans on this planet, which is probably about 8.2 billion too many, but let’s set that aside. It takes a fertility rate of 2.1 to flatline that level, and we are moving from an era of grotesquely large numbers of new humans to a dying, shrinking world (particularly in the well-educated, prosperous places; impoverished shitholes are cranking out LOADS of babies still).
Those who don’t have children say that they just don’t WANT the freakin’ things. Maybe they’re selfish. Maybe they consider it their duty to Earth. Maybe they just would prefer to be adult children their entire lives. Who knows.
Europe is having a shrink-a-thon (immigration notwithstanding) as places like Finland have a fertility rate nearly HALF the size it should be to maintain the population.
Where, let’s say, Niger and the Congo have fertility rates above 6, which means there will be gazillions of new Africans in the years to come. Yep.
The real eye-popper is South Korea, which is going to HALVE its population by the end of this century, in spite of the government’s efforts to compel their subjects to get busy in the boudoir.
