Birth rates are falling across much of the world, raising questions about the future of ageing populations and economies. We look at why people are having fewer children, from the financial pressures facing couples in the US to changing social attitudes. We also examine government efforts to reverse the trend, including Finland's generous family support system and Hungary's costly incentives for larger families.
Birth rate in more than two thirds of countries fell below the so-called ‘replacement rate', of 2.1 children per woman; peak population can come already in 2064