Finance & economics | The pro-natalist turn

Can the rich world escape its baby crisis?

Governments are splurging on handouts to avert catastrophe

Illustration of a tree with babies growing on it
Illustration: Carl Godfrey
|Flint, Michigan

Three decades ago, when women now entering their 40s became fertile, East Asian governments had reason to celebrate. If a South Korean woman behaved the same way as her older compatriots, she would emerge from her childbearing years with 1.7 offspring on average, down from 4.5 in 1970. Across the region, policymakers had brought down teenage pregnancies dramatically. The drop in birth rates, which occurred over the span of a single generation, was a stunning success. That was until it carried on. And on.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Putting a price on them”

From the May 25th 2024 edition

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