| Lots of interesting graphs at the link. |
[Reuters] And how immigration policies could strain the safety net.
U.S. residents are aging and having fewer babies, with fertility rates at a record low and trailing what’s needed for the population to replace itself, part of a widespread global trend with deep economic consequences.
With President Donald Trump’s tough limits on immigration, and his effort to deport some immigrants already in the country, the U.S. may be heading for an era when the median age continues to drift up and the population eventually starts to fall each year. That would be a first for a country built by waves of religious, economic and political refugees from around the world. Economic stress on social safety nets may follow.
Current projections show that by around 2030, deaths will exceed births each year. Immigration, which could offset that, has become politically fraught, falling dramatically under Trump.
Should current trends hold, overall population growth is heading to zero.
| But it isn’t across the population. In America, as elsewhere, birth rates have fallen much further on the left than on the right. In fact, conservatives are still comfortably above the 2.2 children replacement level. Interestingly, starting with George W. Bush, birthrates have jumped whenever a Republican is in the White House, so that’s something to look for over the next few years and beyond. The discussion thread attached to this tweet is also worth reading: |
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