A low birth rate and a rapidly ageing population: Europe’s demographic crisis explained

The greying of Europe is a demographic phenomenon which sees a decrease both in fertility and in mortality rate and a higher life expectancy. This transformation is likely to have a significant impact on most aspects of society and the economy.…

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In English:

[GD-jcwx]

I am Colombian and I am telling you: people in my country are starting to look somewhere else for work opportunities and study.
I am a German language teacher and I will learn Chinese, because we've seen a steady decline in the number of new students of German and French and more and more people wanting to learn Chinese.

That's because Europe is losing its reputation down here and people have very uncertain views about the future in those countries. People would rather go to Canada, Australia and even other South American countries.

[RealPeppaPigXD]

Ajd they decide to import migrants instead of doing something else

[robertzeman]

This is very serious problem and I dont understand why arent countries freaking out about it. Its insanely complex issue that will take huge amount of effort to fix it - if is even possible and the worst part is it will probably take decades. Right know all factors support more decline of birth rate in future: more people getting sick especially with cancer, EU people are emigrating (why shouldn't they), other countries will try to get the best people from other countries as they do now, English is more common that makes it easier to emigrate, mental health is getting just worst, world is getting more dense that makes it more complicated for people to focus on social relationship skills, the economical gap is getting bigger, etc etc etc. You can literary look at Japan, S. Korea and Singapore with critically low birth rate, they are all few years in front of EU and they are trying so hard to fix this problem with no success at all.

[michaelfischer]

exporting jobs to China doesnt help Europes prospects as does rising cost of living and the higher taxes accross the board.

[krzysztofstrzegomski]

0:32 Countries with low demography - Spain (1.5 child /woman), Italy 1.47, Portugal 1.41 and Greece 1.38.
How about: Poland 1.38, Romania 1.38, Bosnia 1.33 ?

[romainvicta]

3000 $ in todays money for a year. Thats how much on average annual earnings were for a family in america in 1900.

that’s around 5 British pounds a day. in todays money.

imagine living of just 3000 $ for a year today! - No laptops, no buying cars. just 3000 to look after your family.

-The argument “children cost to much” is because our standards are too high - we are too privileged for our own good. - Half of children in 1900 weren’t educated and were forced to work as children.
Yet they still made babies - with higher fertility rates than today over replacement level . So to say having babies now is a hindrance is to be ignorant to how easy life is today compared to the past. If Children are seen as a hinderance rather than a blessing we have become a truly selfish society.

- We are too selfish that any sacrifice is not worth it.
- We are not taught the importance of having children for societies health and wealth.
- who will get humanity to mars if we don’t have children?
- Who will look after the ever increasing numbers of elderly?
- Pension prices will sky rocket
- Less workforce means less taxes - meaning less public services. NHS would have to shutdown.
- Having babies is to Support the NHS as you are creating tax payers that pay in to the system.
- An ageing population means a ever growing strain on public services - Exponentially increasing as fertility rates drop.

[swdw]

One big flaw in this. They are lumping people over 50 who are still working with older people who will be retiring. At the retirement point spending DECREASES drastically as does investment.

[littlegreen]

With economic inequality as high as it is who would have guessed people would be reluctant to throw child care costs on top of the rest of their bills.

[muhammeddiloarhussain]

Europe need 150 million young worker for next 30 years.
Otherwise European economy will collapse for aging population.

[invisiblesun]

Really surprised Spain is on that list. This isn't good at all. That's the main reason I couldn't wait to go back to Europe again ☹

[robertbright]

What did people in Rome or Londinium think in the 4th and 5th Century? Why did the Western Roman Empire collapse? It was multi-factorial — including climate change: North African bread basket collapsed; Western Europe cooled reducing agricultural yields; Roman population collapsed from 1 million to less than 50, 000 in a few short years, invading peoples, on and on — and the Romans of the 5th Century did not know their empire had collapsed. Was there anything they could do to reverse depopulation? I would say no. They had to wait more than 1000 years for circumstances to change in their favor again. Our civilization, like all civilizations, had a birth, maturity and decline most likely leading to extinction. And there is likely nothing that can be done to change it any more than we can restore youth to the aged.

[dylanmurphy]

Their solution to the problem they created: replace the natives

[LuisJimenez-yrci]

These are actually excelent news for the planet and resources.

[megangillet]

I'm not an expert, but it doesn't take an expert to know that low wages, appalling social service provided and a lack of womens rights are maybe gonna make couples not want to give birth to children who will suffer these conditions. The way these countries are tackling the population decline is not working, such as how Hungary is making fertility clinics free as it's not tackling the roots of these problems. It's not that people don't want to be parents, it's that they can't in a world where the middle class is shrinking and the divide between poverty and wealth is becoming more extreme.

[vaibhavsingh]

While countries like India are so overpopulated that indians are spilling out everywhere. In every rich country indians have significant population.
In UK south Asian population is 6% of total population. In USA 1.4 % or around 5 Million Indias live there. Chinese are even more than Indians.

[hellsing]

Trust me its still better than having overpopulation because in our country u have to prepare for entrance exam just to get graduate in average universities and same applies to get job too, less population is something every developed country is facing so its not that big deal(because fertility rate is still above 1 in European countries)😅 and its much better than being in overpopulated country

[PMMagro]

Blame the imigrants. You know nothing is ever your own resopinsibilty...

[sajoodmaqboolbhat]

دیار مغرب کے رہنے والو خدا کی بستی دکاں نہیں ہے

کھرا جسے تم سمجھ رہے ہو وہ اب زر کم عیار ہوگا

تمہاری تہذیب اپنے خنجر سے آپ ہی خودکشی کرے گی

جو شاخ نازک پہ آشیانہ بنے گا ناپائیدار ہوگا

[geoffreyharris]

Ok. There are too many people in the world perhaps by a factor of 100.

[mightymulatto]

A marxist would say that the family is tool of the state. One molded to meet the mode of production. When land lords had massive holdings that needed to be worked peasants(The poor always breed) produced as needed. If birth control were available they wouldn't be afforded access then.


Urbanization isn't ideal for families so the answer was the suburbs. When the advanced economies realized the cities were becoming environmental waste lands (see Cleveland) they sent labor intensive jobs overseas.

They introduce birth control, student debt, gave everyone who could breath a mortgage and well here we are. Instead of working a lifetime bringing in crops they now worked to pay imaginary debt with interest on a balance sheet.

Tax policy in the US provides subsidies per child. While the childless pay roughly more than a 3rd of what they earn in taxes.

Even then child care is a crippling cost. $500/month if a young mother decides to work. 5$/minute when late picking them up. Um, no thanks.

The human being has been reduced to a host by which a parasite thrives. I think people on some level know this and simply choose not to bother.