Last updated on October 2nd, 2024 at 01:29 pm
Over the weekend, Pope Francis expressed his concern about the global trend of declining birth rates and the increased preference among many for pets over children. His comments were made during a conversation with Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, wherein he praised Indonesia for their citation as an example for other countries. The Pope stressed that houses filled with objects and pets but devoid of children are becoming “very sad places”.
This emphasis is rooted in a growing population crisis, as evidenced by the Centers for Disease Control’s data. The numbers reveal that US couples are not having enough offspring to keep the population steady – a problem shared by many other countries in Asia and Europe.
Preliminary data from 2022 indicates that birth rates continue to fall below the replacement level, with approximately 3.7 million babies born. Notably, the rates rose among Hispanic women and women over the age of 35 but saw a decrease among teenagers, women in their 20s, and black and white women.
The issue of underpopulation is vast and increasing globally, with birth rates steadily declining worldwide. This trend has far-reaching consequences, including future labour shortages, fewer young adults to care for the elderly, and a shrinking pool of contributors to programs like Medicare and Social Security.
Much-awaited increases in births after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the overturning of Roe v. Wade have not materialized, as per CDC data published on Thursday. The data shows a slight increase—roughly 3,000—in births in 2022, short of expectations maintained holistically for the US population.
Pope Francis embodies the concerns of many who think about the potential societal implications of this underpopulation crisis, juxtaposing it against the now common preference for pets over children.