Across the world, birth rates are declining more rapidly than expected. That worries pensioners and policymakers
the future is to the present, when one is surrounded by children,” wrote Charles Darwin in 1852, reflecting on his own parenthood. If he saw current birth rates, he might reconsider: it is not the throng of kids that would make think about his dotage, but the lack of them. .
In 2010, there were 98 nations and territories with fertility rates below 2.1 according to the United Nations. In 2021, that number had risen to 124, or more than half the countries for which data were available. The world’s 15 largest economies all have fertility rates below the replacement rate. As the proportion of children declines, average ages are rising, particularly as old people live longer . Some long-running demographic trends are changing, too. Educated women have for decades
tended to have fewer children. But fertility among the less educated is now falling. On a global level the link between national incomes and fertility rates has also weakened. India’s fertility rate, for example, fell below 2.1 in 2020, despite a gross domestic product of less than $3,000 per person.. In parts of the world where birth rates were already low, the shortfall of young employees, who are needed to subsidise the retired, will be felt keenly.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gut microbiome transitions across generations in different ethnicities in an urban setting—the HELIUS study - MicrobiomeBackground During the course of history, various important lifestyle changes have caused profound transitions of the gut microbiome. These include the introduction of agriculture and animal husbandry, a shift from a nomadic to a more sedentary lifestyle, and recently increased levels of urbanization and a transition towards a more Western lifestyle. The latter is linked with shifts in the gut microbiome that have a reduced fermentative capability and which are commonly associated with diseases of affluence. In this study, in which 5193 subjects are included, we investigated the direction of microbiome shifts that occur in various ethnicities living in Amsterdam by comparing 1st and 2nd generation participants. We furthermore validated part of these findings with a cohort of subjects that moved from rural Thailand to the USA. Results The abundance of the Prevotella cluster, which includes P. copri and the P. stercorea trophic network, diminished in the 2nd generation Moroccans and Turks but also in younger Dutch, whilst the Western-associated Bacteroides/Blautia/Bifidobacterium (BBB) cluster, which has an inverse correlation with α-diversity, increased. At the same time, the Christensenellaceae/Methanobrevibacter/Oscillibacter trophic network, which is positively associated with α-diversity and a healthy BMI, decreased in younger Turks and Dutch. Large compositional shifts were not observed in South-Asian and African Surinamese, in whom the BBB cluster is already dominant in the 1st generation, but ASV-level shifts towards certain species, associated amongst others with obesity, were observed. Conclusion The Moroccan and Turkish populations, but also the Dutch population are transitioning towards a less complex and fermentative less capable configuration of the gut microbiota, which includes a higher abundance of the Western-associated BBB cluster. The Surinamese, whom have the highest prevalence of diabetes and other diseases of affluence, are already dominated by t
Read more »
Twickenham veteran runs ultra-marathon across TanzaniaArmy veteran Tricia Sinclair will run 155 miles during the challenge including the 3,700m climb up Kilimanjaro.
Read more »
All the mini golf courses across MerseysideMerseyside has lots of miniature golf courses, that you can enjoy rain or shine
Read more »
Man charged after investigation into series of rapes across LancashireNazim Asmal, 33 of Balaclava Street, Blackburn was charged after incidents were reported in Darwen and Preston
Read more »
Schools across Scotland could be closed by strikes in row over payUnite warned the Scottish Government it was repeating mistakes made last year when it came to negotiating pay deals with council staff.
Read more »
Chorley's new apartment block that'll stand tall directly across from town hallThe plan will see housing built on a car park
Read more »