US Birth Rate Hits New Low. The rate of babies born in the United States hit a record low in 2011, a new analysis shows. Researchers say the drastic drop in the birth rate among immigrants has greatly contributed to the overall decrease. Based on preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the Pew Research Center calculated that the overall birth rate — the annual number of births per 1,000 women between 15 to 44 — was 63.2 last year. That's the lowest since such reliable record collection began in 1920 and close to half the birth rate in 1957, amid the Baby Boom years. The overall number of births declined 7 percent from 2007 to 2010. During this period, U.S. -born women saw a 5 percent birth-rate decline, while there was a 13 percent drop in births to immigrants. Despite the recent dip, foreign-born mothers still give birth to a disproportionate share of the nation's newborns, a trend that has persisted over the past two decades.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. Why a Falling Birth Rate Is a Big Problem. It sounds like one of those stories you can safely ignore: The U.S. birth rate has hit a record low, led by a big drop in the portion of immigrant women having babies. [Photos: Kennedy Center Honors Led Zeppelin, Hoffman, Letterman] This development doesn't directly affect anybody, since it's one of those long-term societal trends that occurs in small increments and doesn't change the unemployment rate, the price of gas, the direction of the stock market or any of the big economic forces that make our lives better or worse today. And since the trend is strongest among immigrants, it sounds like maybe this is something happening in a shadowy part of the economy that doesn't matter all that much. But it does matter, and if the trend persists, it could mean lower living standards for most Americans in the future.
But that's usually because such economies are static, and instead of creating wealth they typically just divide up what's already there. China to soften its one-child policy slogans, but not the law itself | The Sideshow. A billboard promoting China's one-child policy (AP/Greg Baker) The Chinese government isn't getting rid of its one-child policy currently in place.
It's just making it sound better. China's communist party newspaper, People's Daily, reports that the government will revamp its abrasive-sounding slogans surrounding the policy. People's Daily cites several examples of "harsh slogans," including those "which sometimes even threaten criminal acts.
" The newly instituted program, slugged the "face-washing project," will offer more proactive slogans to help enforce the policy, which has been in place since 1979. China claims the policy, which applies to those living in urban areas, affects approximately 35.9 percent of the population and has resulted in an estimated 400 million fewer births since first being implemented. Some examples of the more offensive slogans currently in use include: "If you don't receive the tubal ligation surgery by the deadline, your house will be demolished! " And… China.
Japan's Population to Shrink Nearly a Third by 2060. The world's oldest country is about to get even older. New figures released by the government estimate people aged 65 and older will make up nearly 40 percent of the population of Japan 50 years from now. Even more troubling, the country's population is expected to shrink by 30 percent, with birth rates showing little signs of improvement. The forecast, conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research every five years, paints a dire picture of Japan at a time when the country is already struggling to support its elderly - roughly a quarter of the population - amid a shrinking workforce.
In the last few decades, Japan's social security budget has soared 15 percent, an increase of 1 trillion yen per year. 50 years ago, there were a dozen workers for every social security retiree. 50 years from now, there will just be one. Complicating the issue, is Japan's dismal birthrate. There is one number that continues to go up: Japan's life expectancy. U.S. & World Population Clocks.