Why Demographers Studying Current Birth Rates Are Losing It
원본 (Korean)
Translation + Context
FT = ForbiddenTome — tap to see Korean slang explained
Subscribe
Korea is no longer recording the world's lowest birth rate! F*** off, Taiwan. Rate this translation: 17
9:29 AM May 10, 2026 - 871K views
Relevant ~
View quote >
What could be the reason why the fertility rate decline in Latin America is faster than in East Asia?
Source: Respective National Statistical Offices and Ministries of Health (e.g., INE Chile, INDEC Argentina, MSP Uruguay) Japan's fertility rate this year is expected to be around 1.1, while China and South Korea are both projected to be around 0.9. Meanwhile, Chile's fertility rate has already fallen below 1.0, and Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay are expected to follow suit. Most of Latin America's fertility rates currently fall short of the population replacement rate of 2.1, and even Brazil, which traditionally saw notable population growth, now has a fertility rate of around 1.5, similar to many developed countries. East Asia's low fertility rates are commonly attributed to factors such as manufacturing-focused labor culture and an extremely competitive education system. However, in Latin America, which has a completely different culture, fertility rates are declining much more rapidly. Considering that East Asia is largely non-religious while Latin America is still a Christian-centered society, and Christianity is believed to have a positive influence on fertility rates, it's surprising that Latin America's fertility rate is declining faster.
© Charlie Bibi / FT
Henry Mance Interview Demographics and Population
+ Add to myFT Birth rates are declining in Northern Europe. Are family-friendly policies no longer enough? Finnish demographer Anna Rotkirch assesses what young people think about having children and suggests that we need to reconsider this socially.
Developed / developing nations—doesn't matter
Catholic / Christian / Islamic / Confucian—doesn't matter
Even the Nordic welfare states hailed as models for population recovery
are hitting record lows in birth rates
Low birth rates are no longer just a crisis for East Asian nations like Korea
It's now expanded into a full humanity-wide crisis, they're lamenting
Couple Takes 12-Hour Flight With Infant Twins
1391818 days agoby snappydeer704512
The Day EBS Instructors Are Most Nervous
1232118 days agoby brightcrow614844
Johnny Somali Apologizes: "I Made a Mistake, Please Save Me, I'm Truly Sorry"
1231218 days agoby bubblypanda107636
High School Status Check in 2026
772118 days agoby cozypuppy304417
A Pretty Wild Law Going Into Effect in About a Month
1202218 days agoby sunnyquail768396
A lifetime free showdown split 50-50: Taxi vs. First Class Flights
542019 days agoby radiantcrane456725
Our Neighborhood's Unusual Mister
522219 days agoby fluffybunny846855
Election Commission Mistakenly Entered Vote Count Data
621819 days agoby breezyquail556885
Surprisingly, Seoul National University will admit you just for submitting an application
1072019 days agoby luckypuppy897717
Thinly Sliced Pork: The Snack Younger Koreans Are Rejecting.jpg
592519 days agoby breezygecko146294
Police report scooter delivery driver, tell them exactly this
118819 days agoby breezypanda353020
Why Do Korean People Have Such a Good Sense of Humor Lmaoooo
74720 days agoby sparklypuppy958839
Femco getting called out in today's news. Jpg
1391620 days agoby zippycrane555912
Judge: What is the name of Mr. Shin Tae-il's agency?
1432320 days agoby brightsloth413884
Lord of the Rings: The One Ring's Ownership Duration by Owner
1481520 days agoby merryhawk397937
Stellar Blade 2 Female Lead's Appearance: Reddit Reactions
1381320 days agoby goldenpanda590494
Actress Moon Geun-young's Current Status After Being Called "Nation's Little Sister"
1053220 days agoby bouncymole802682
Israel Accused of "Crossing a Line" as International Community Horrified
122821 days agoby sparklyseal219503
32-year-old with leukemia and vocal cord paralysis update: went to Jeju solo anyway
113921 days agoby radiantcrane456725
Why an Army Base's Electric Bill Was So High
834321 days agoby bubblypanda107636
8 comments
Lmao we were just trendsetters, the actual trend is no more babies 💀💀💀
Why do they keep denying the obvious reason? People are realizing that the entire process from marriage to having kids is exhausting, and that there's no obligation to do it anymore. That's literally it
The 90s generation was the last baby boom boom, so there was that bounce, but the housing crisis—which created the world's lowest birth rate—is still ongoing, so we're about to plummet again
As social media develops, people compare themselves more, and it creates this intense navel-gazing of "let me just focus on my own life." That's why. Central Africa regions still have the world's highest birth rates and hold steady. Why? Because SNS culture hasn't taken root there yet
At this point it seems like an economic problem
okay but why is nobody talking about how different this is across countries?? Europe's numbers are wild compared to Asia and Africa
It's just natural that the higher IQ gets + the easier communication becomes, the more likely people are to make choices that go against their biological instincts
lmao not demographers having a full meltdown over spreadsheets 😭 honestly can't blame them tho the numbers are absolutely insane
This is actually terrifying when you think about it... my parents keep asking when I'm having kids but like have they SEEN the economy lately??