The global population has been growing at a much slower pace than before and some countries’ populations have actually decreased. In 2023， the U.S. birth rate dropped to a record low of approximately 1.7 births per woman， according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

全球人口增长速度比以前慢了许多，有些国家的人口实际上已经有所减少。根据美国疾病控制与预防中心的统计数据，2023年美国的人口出生率降至历史最低点，每位女性约生育1.7个孩子。

The required replacement rate for a population to be maintained is 2.1 children per woman， but many countries are no longer reaching that. South Korea currently has the lowest birth rate in the world， at just 0.72 children per woman. “What we are experiencing now， and have been experiencing for decades， is something that we have not seen before in human history， which is a large-scale， cross-national， cross-cultural shift towards preferring and having smaller families，” said Jennifer D. Sciubba， a demographer and the author of “8 Billion and Counting1： How Sex， Death， and Migration Shape Our World.”

要维持人口数量，所需的更替水平生育率为每位女性生育2.1个孩子，但许多国家已经达不到这一水平。韩国目前是世界上人口出生率最低的国家，每位女性仅生育0.72个孩子。“我们现在所经历的以及几十年来一直在经历的，是人类历史上前所未有的大规模、跨国家、跨文化的转变，即人们转而偏向生育更少的孩子。”著有《80亿人口——一个全球性重要议题：生育、死亡和移民如何塑造世界》的人口统计学家珍妮弗·D. 朔巴表示。

Some experts claim falling populations could be a positive development， while others worry about the future of an aging society. “Not having children， or having fewer children， is becoming more socially acceptable，” said Sarah Hayford， the director of the Institute for Population Research at the Ohio State University. “As a result， people are weighing more carefully the decision to have children.”

一些专家声称人口下降可能是个积极的发展趋势，而另一些专家则担心老龄化社会的未来。俄亥俄州立大学人口研究所所长莎拉·海福德表示：“不生孩子或少生孩子越来越为社会所接受。因此，人们会更加慎重地决定是否生孩子。”

The future is feeble

未来脆弱不堪

A declining population could spell particular trouble for older generations. “People are living longer， so populations as a whole have fewer people of working age who can provide for older people and others who are economically inactive，” said New Scientist. This problem has become even more significant in the past few years. “Since the pandemic， labor shortages have become endemic throughout developed countries，” said The Wall Street Journal. “That will only worsen in coming years as the postcrisis fall in birthrates yields an ever-shrinking inflow of young workers， placing more strain on healthcare and retirement systems.”

人口下降可能尤其会给老年人带来麻烦。