The population is the backbone of any society, and its size determines numerous aspects of how society functions. As a result, the issue of birth rate becomes important for all countries on the planet since a large number of citizens is an essential factor for economic development and maintaining nations’ social safety net systems (Wang 471). Thus, governments usually try to stimulate population growth in order to sustain periods of prosperity and progress. All countries have different populations, but according to official estimates of the World Bank, the majority of nations have been experiencing a steady decline in birth rate over the past decades (The World Bank). Yet, the difference between developed and developing countries is particularly notable since the latter, on average, have a much higher number of births than the former, which translates into several outcomes.
First of all, it is necessary to substantiate the hypothesis that developing countries have a higher birth rate than developed ones. According to the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Europe and Northern America, as regions with advanced economies, have an average birth rate of 1.8 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division 13). At the same time, regions with poor development levels, such as Northern Africa and Western Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa have much higher fertility rates of 2.9 and 4.6, respectively (“United Nations” 13). Such evidence supports the hypothesis that developed nations tend to have a lower birth rate compared to developing ones. Moreover, as projected by the UN, the trend is going to remain, while the decline in birth rate continues to affect all countries in the world, including those with emerging economies (“United Nations” 13). There can be a variety of causes of such a phenomenon, including better access to contraceptives as well as a more reasonable approach to family planning by younger generations.
Additionally, the hypothesis about the difference in birth rates in developed and developing countries can be tested by exploring data about individual countries. For instance, currently, the majority of the top one hundred countries with the highest fertility rate on the planet are developing ones. The first position is occupied by Niger which has a fertility rate of 6.8 (“The World Bank”). Developed countries such as the United States and Australia have the same fertility rate of 1.7, and the United Kingdom has 1.6 (“The World Bank”). Such results indicate that the hypothesis about a difference in the birth rate between developed and developing countries is true not when considering average scores but also when looking at individual nations.
Based on the results of the test, several conclusions can be made on the issue of varying birth rates in the world’s countries. First of all, developed countries do have lower birth rates both on average and on an individual level. Developing countries have much higher rates, with Niger having 6.8 births per woman. Nevertheless, both developed and developing countries are affected by the gradual decline in birth rates which will continue in the near future.
Thus, the current paper tested a hypothesis concerning birth rate levels in developed and developing countries. The primary conclusion made based on the evidence discovered during research states that developed countries tend to have lower birth rates compared to developing ones. Thus, it is clear that nations with advanced economies will have smaller populations in the future than those with emerging ones if the current trend continues.
Works Cited
The World Bank. “FertilityTate,Ttotal.” The World Bank, Web.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. “World Fertility and Family Planning 2020: Highlights.” United Nations, 2020. Web.
Wang, Zhenying. The Principle of Trading Economics. Springer Nature.