World fertility rates set to take a plunge
Reports reveal the world remains unprepared for the global crash in fertility rates. Plummeting crash in children being born would mean nearly every country could have shrinking populations by the end of the century. Researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation showed the global fertility rate nearly halved to 2.4 in 2017, projecting it to further fall below 1.7 by 2100.
The report, published in The Lancet, expects the number of people on the planet to peak at 9.7 billion around 2064, before falling down to 8.8 billion by the end of the century. According to the study, Japan's population is projected to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017, to less than 53 million by the end of the century. Italy is expected to see an equally dramatic population crash from 61 million to 28 million over the same time frame.
The UK is predicted to peak at 75 million in 2063, and fall to 71 million by 2100.
