https://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/don-feder/
When President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a federal holiday in 1914, the average American woman had six children. During the baby boom, the number was 3.62. Today, it’s an anemic 1.6, which should set off alarm bells.
Motherhood is the most important job in world. But it’s a job fewer and fewer want to do.
In 2023, 3.6 million babies were born in the United States, compared with 4.16 million in 1990.
The total fertility rate is the number of children the average woman will have in her lifetime. We haven’t had replacement-level fertility (2.1) since 1973.
Still, the United States is experiencing another baby boom compared to most of the industrialized world.
In Italy, the fertility rate is 1.21. The average Italian child has no brothers, sisters or cousins.
In South Korea, it’s 0.72. The nation will lose more than half of its population in each generation. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can disband his army. In a few years, he’ll be able to just walk in and take over.
Last year, Japan lost 595,000 people. This is the 13th consecutive year of population decline. More than 20 million Japanese are 75 and older, a record high. The number of vacant homes also hit an all-time high of more than 9 million, or 13.8% of the housing supply.