Birth rates have sharply declined in some of the wealthiest countries in the world and are likely to remain low as economic concerns drive people to weigh the costs of having children, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Many in OECD member countries are now choosing whether to have children later in life or not at all, the document published on Thursday states. – Both young men and women are increasingly finding meaning in life outside of parenthood – it adds.
The total fertility rate in OECD countries has fallen to an average of 1.5 children per woman in 2022 from 3.3 in 1960, the report states, using a unit that measures the average number of children born per woman over her lifetime.
– Although countries are implementing a range of policies to support families, the economic cost and long-term financial uncertainty continue to significantly impact people’s decisions to become parents – said Stefano Scarpetta, director of the OECD’s Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate.
The lowest fertility rates were recorded in Korea, with 0.7 children per woman, followed by Italy and Spain, where the rate is 1.2. The highest rates were recorded in Israel with 2.9 children per woman, followed by Mexico and France with 1.8.
The average age of women giving birth has risen from 28.6 in 2000 to 30.9 in 2022 in major industrialized economies. Comparing women born in 1935 and 1975, in Estonia, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, the percentage of those without children has doubled, OECD data shows.
– The number of childless people is rising almost everywhere – said Tomas Sobotka, a researcher at the Vienna Institute of Demography. The pressure to be good parents, which involves dedicating time to raising children, has also led young people to delay or avoid starting families, the Paris-based organization states.
– Qualitative evidence from Europe reveals that one reason some women in their early thirties decide to postpone having children is that they do not believe they can be ideal mothers – it adds.
