Economic Growth and the Shrinking Family: A Cross-Country Exploration

1 Introduction

Globally, birth rates have fallen to record lows, raising questions about how economic growth and prosperity shapes population trends. We were drawn to this topic because it sits at the intersection of economics and human behavior, how people’s choices about family size might shift as societies become wealthier, more urban, and more educated. The idea of a “fertility collapse” is more than a simple demographic story; it has deep implications for labor markets, social systems, and long-term economic stability. By looking at how economic growth and fertility rates move together or apart across time and regions, we hope to better understand what drives these changes in population dynamics, and if there are any countries towards which we can look for in hopes of finding a reversal strategy.