In a related vein to the previous post, there’s an interesting fact I read in The Economist recently: the average person in the US has 2.11 children, while in Western Europe – I’m not sure which countries, exactly – the average is 1.45.
Aside from the sheer “wow” factor, that might create some interesting political differences in the decades ahead. I know the pressure on health care issues in the US is becoming enormous. Goodness knows what it must be like in Europe, and what it will become.
And of course there is the question: who is having these babies? If they are black or hispanic in the US, or Algerian or black (say) in France, then the demographic changes are pretty fascinating. Troppo Armadillo had a good go late last year at the question of why our birh rate is slipping. It sounds academic, but its to do with the patter of little feet in our own hallways…