Low fertility rates and high house prices mean that there are fewer children than five years ago

Thirty-five states are having fewer children than five years ago due to falling birth rates across the country and families moving to different areas to escape skyrocketing housing prices, new figures show.

California, Illinois and New Mexico had the largest declines, declining six percent between 2017 and 2022, according to a Stateline analysis from the US Census Bureau facts.

High housing costs were reported to be a factor as families moved for a lower cost of living. This has led to a drop in school attendance and now school staff are facing the possibility of layoffs.

Fertility rates are at historic lows since 2010. There were 15 states — including Idaho and North Dakota — that had children in the population with the largest increase of 4 percent.

California, Illinois and New Mexico had the largest declines, declining six percent from 2017 to 2022, according to a Stateline analysis of data from the US Census Bureau

Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, wrote in a January report that California’s fertility rate fell from 2.15 per woman in 2008 to 1.52 in 2020.

He also spoke about how more and more families are leaving the state for a lower cost of living, contributing to the decline in the number of children.

“People want to buy a house and have kids, but they realize they can’t do that here, so they’re looking nearby, nearby states, and working remotely so they can keep their California paychecks,” Johnson said.

Along with California, Illinois and New Mexico, recent years have also seen the lowest school enrollments since the pandemic.

Between 2012 and 2022, New Mexico school enrollment dropped 22 percent in majority-Native Central Consolidated Schools in San Juan County, according to the report. This compares to a national decline of 7 percent.

Christina Aspaas, president of the Central Consolidated school board, told news outlets that a recent mine closure forced many families to relocate to find work.

“Many salaried Navajo workers had to move to Phoenix or elsewhere out of state to earn the same wages,” Aspaas said.

“It affected the local tribes, Hopi and Navajo, Diné. Seeing the consequences breaks my heart. These are all my children, and they deserve the best in education and in life.”

On the other hand, states like Idaho, North Dakota, and Florida have seen an increase in school enrollment in recent years.

Jaap Vos, a planning professor at the University of Idaho in Boise, moved from Florida to Idaho “when it was still in the middle of nowhere,” he said, adding that the state is known as a picturesque and affordable place to raise children. to take.

The state has also seen an influx of people migrating from Northern California, Washington, and Utah.

“It may be for ideological reasons that people are looking for a more conservative lifestyle,” says Vos.

Florida had the third-highest increase in child population between 2017 and 2022, at two percent, the data revealed, citing Hispanic births.

The fertility rate of the US (green) and UK (orange) dropped rapidly in the 1970s, and despite occasional small upticks, it has steadily declined over the years

The global fertility rate fell by 51% between 1970 and 2020, from 4.9 children per woman to just 2.3. If it falls below 2.1, the world’s population will begin to decline, experts warn. Birth rates have fallen in much of the developed world, with only African countries leading the pack

Stefan Rayer, director of the population program at the state Office of Economic and Business Research, said: “Unless births increase significantly because of Florida’s aging population, the state is likely to see a natural decline for the foreseeable future, with all growth coming from migration.”

In 2020, the global average fertility rate – the average number of children each woman has – was 2.3, compared to 4.7 in 1970 – a staggering 51 percent drop in half a century. In parts of Europe and North America, fewer than two births per woman are recorded on average.

While fertility rates are falling in much of the world, they continue to grow in Africa. Thirty-one of the top 32 countries with the highest fertility rates are on the continent, with Niger in first place with a rate of 6.9 children per woman.

South Korea has the dubious honor of having the world’s lowest fertility rate, with each woman having an average of 0.8 children. In both the US and UK, the fertility rate in 2020 was 1.6.

The Visual Capitalist image collected data from the World Bank, an international development organization led by world governments from 1960 to 2020.

The downward trend in fertility rates in the developed world is the result of multiple factors.

Women have children much later in life because they prioritize careers.

Couples also settle down and get married much later, reducing the biological chance for women to have children. Declining male fertility is also believed to play a role, linked to poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles.

Fertility in the US has fallen sharply in recent decades (above). The average American woman will have only 1.6 children in her lifetime, well below the replacement level of 2.1. It’s down 15 percent from the rate of 1.9 in 2010. North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alaska are the most fertile states in America, with more than 65 annual births per 1,000 fertile elderly women (center left). Fertility rates fell the most since 2005 in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and California (center right)

According to World Bank data, 106 countries have fertility rates below 2.1, a benchmark experts say is necessary for a country to maintain its current population. Three countries – South Korea, Hong Kong and Puerto Rico – have rates below 1.0.

Also among the worst in the world are Macau (fertility rate 1.0), Singapore (1.1), Malta (1.1), Ukraine (1.2), Spain (1.2), Italy (1.2) and China (1.3).

All of the world’s fertility rate leaders are in Africa.

Somalia (6.4), Chad (6.4), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (6.2), Mali (6.0), and the Central African Republic (6.0) are the top five countries in terms of fertility rates . over 6.0.

Countries that lead the world in fertility are generally poorer countries that score poorly on development indices, have poorer sex education and access to contraception.