Low birth rates: The population will soon shrink in almost all countries. Women would have to have an average of 2.1 children so that the size of populations remains stable.
Family support, on the other hand, only helps to a limited extent, a study suggests. But an expert warns against a fallacy. “There is no patent recipe” Policies aimed at increasing birth rates - such as financial support or child care - could prevent some countries from falling to extremely low rates, it says.