In fact, the global study revealed that birth rates have been plummeting in all major Western nations since 1950.
The study, summarized by The Times, concluded that "To maintain public services and economic growth, high-income societies including the UK will have no choice but to rely on an influx of immigration from poorer countries in Africa with higher birthrates."
Source: ONS
It said that "pro-natal" policies such as free childcare, meant to encourage people to have babies, would not be enough to sustain Western populations, meaning "open immigration will become necessary."
The UK has claimed one of the lowest fertility rates in Western Europe at the "replacement rate" of 1.49 children per woman in 2021. The study reports that to maintain the current population without immigration, that number must sit at 2.1.
However sub-Saharan Africa is reportedly one of the few areas where a "baby boom" is continuing and the population is still growing. The study found that over 50 percent of the entire world's babies would be born in sub-Saharan Africa in 2100.
Dr Natalia Bhattacharjee, the lead author of the study, said the dwindling population in Western nations would create “fierce competition for migrants to sustain economic growth."
“The implications are immense. These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganising societies," she said.
She continued: “Social policies to improve birthrates such as enhanced parental leave, free childcare, financial incentives and extra employment rights, may provide a small boost to fertility rates, but most countries will remain below replacement levels.
“And once nearly every country’s population is shrinking, reliance on open immigration will become necessary to sustain economic growth. Sub-Saharan African countries have a vital resource that ageing societies are losing — a youthful population.”
