Weekend Long Read: What’s Causing China’s Fertility Rate to Plummet?

Why have fertility rates plummeted in East Asia in the past two decades? The cost of childrearing, falling marriage rates and societal pressure are all to blame.

In the 1950s, in the aftermath of World War II, the world experienced a fertility boom. Many countries, including China, had very high fertility rates, with some as high as six children per women. But by the 1980s, fertility rates began dropping below replacement levels, which is around two in most developed countries. This was especially pronounced in Western Europe.