The planet is still on track to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, yet most families are having fewer children than they want. Longer lives, lower fertility and uneven migration now demand a rethink of how societies support parents and care for an ageing population.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) projects that global population will grow another 20-30% from 2020 to 2050 before starting to level off around 2100.
Behind the headline figure, average fertility has plunged from five children per woman in the 1950s to 2.3 today and is expected to reach the “replacement level” of 2.1 by mid-century.
Two-thirds of humanity already lives in low-fertility contexts, where economic pressure, costly housing and education, unequal care duties and patchy reproductive-health services keep birth rates below what couples say they would like.
Short-term fixes such as baby bonuses rarely work, UNFPA warns. Instead, evidence shows that affordable childcare, flexible work, shared parental leave, gender equality and secure incomes help families reach their desired size while preparing economies for older populations.
The report also said that countries which overhaul pensions, healthcare and workplace rules early can turn demographic change into an opportunity rather than a crisis.
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Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis denied targeting a power plant supplying energy to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Passengers from a flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft have arrived safely in Israel.
Russia has warned NATO that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, according to a diplomatic document seen by Reuters.
British counter-terrorism police have arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national as part of an investigation into a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, an airbase used by U.S. forces for operations against Iran.
A retired Australian builder has arrived in Baku in his 1929 Pontiac Roadster during an epic journey from Bangkok to Istanbul, using the nearly century-old car to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
Around 400 schools across France remained closed on Friday as protests over teacher shortages and deteriorating buildings escalated into violence, leaving dozens injured and leading to 2,000 arrests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow wanted to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible, while insisting that any settlement must meet conditions acceptable to Russia and include security guarantees.
The family of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot by an immigration agent in Minneapolis in January, has sued the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of excessive force and unconstitutional conduct.
Ukraine is working to resolve a diplomatic dispute with South Korea after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday, 1 October.
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