We’re Having Fewer Kids And The Brits Are Having More

According to the latest 2010 Census data, children now make up a smaller amount of the American population than ever before. Despite the increase in immigrant families, Americans are just not having as many kids which is suspected to put strains on various facets of economy. Meanwhile, England and Wales are at an all time high for live births.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Currently, the share of children in the U.S. is 24%, falling below the previous low of 26% in 1990. The share is projected to slip further, to 23% by 2050, even as the percentage of people 65 and older is expected to jump from 13% today to roughly 20% by 2050 due to the aging of baby boomers and beyond.

WSJ points out that a shrinking demographic of children ultimately means a smaller workforce to support our country’s growing elderly population. This is also projected to impact the amount of resources available to children, as more government funding will inevitably go to support seniors. We’re not alone either. A few other developed countries are producing less children as well:

The slowing population growth in the U.S. mirrors to a lesser extent the situation in other developed nations, including Russia, Japan and France which are seeing reduced growth or population losses due to declining birth rates and limited immigration. The combined population of more-developed countries other than the U.S. is projected to decline beginning in 2016, raising the prospect of prolonged budget crises as the number of working-age citizens diminish, pension costs rise and tax revenues fall.

England and Wales however stand apart, as their birthrate has reached a 40-year high according to The Guardian. Births are so high that nearly 4,700 more midwives are now needed to handle the increase in birthing women.

Our slowly recovering economy can surely account for our drop in the number of kids we’re able to raise, but the UK’s isn’t doing too well either. The BBC reports that their economical recovery is so slow that they might need to borrow more money from private sector firms. So why is it that the UK is having so many babies that they’re scrambling to educate midwives?