I understand that many women will not have kids or will have only one kid, or that child mortality is involved but still a fertility rate of 2 means that ON AVERAGE every woman will have 2 kids. This means that every woman and man will be replaced, including the children that die young if the rate of 2 lasts (the newborn females will also have on average two kids). So why isn’t a fertility rate of 2 enough to replace the population?
In: 701
Some humans die before puberty. Some humans aren’t able to have children. Some humans never will have children through some combination of factors.
That adds up to the missing 0.1 which is a rule of thumb, and not a precise number. Remember, we’re talking about statistics on a national population level.
Population decline is a serious problem that NOBODY is willing to face. The entire rich world is facing birth rates below replacement. Most of the developing world is stagnant at best. The poor countries are the only ones making more humans, and they can’t afford to feed them.
We’re looking at the extinction of the species if we don’t make major changes.
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