OECD highlights the halving of birth rates among its member countries since 1960, emphasizing economic and social risks.

The birth rate per woman in the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has shrunk by around half over the past 60 years. While women gave birth to an average of 3.3 children in 1960, in 2022 the figure was only around 1.5, as the Paris-based OECD wrote in a report published on Thursday.

The organization warned that the low birth rate could have serious economic and social consequences.

According to the OECD, the level at which the population would be kept constant is 2.1 children per woman. The lower rate threatens an increasingly aging population and therefore a lower proportion of the population who work. This would result in higher expenditure on pensions and healthcare services for governments.

The OECD also noted that women are having children later these days. In 2000, mothers were 28.6 years old on average when they gave birth. In 2022, they were 30.9 years old on average. In Germany, the average age rose from 28.8 to 31.4 years in the same period.

According to Stefano Scarpetta, Head of the Labor and Social Affairs Division at the OECD, OECD countries use many resources to support families. Nevertheless, “The economic costs and long-term financial insecurity of having children continue to strongly influence the decision to become parents.”

To make it easier for people to have children, states must provide comprehensive and reliable support for families. “This includes affordable housing, family policies that help reconcile work and family life, and coherence with other policies that promote access to good jobs and career opportunities for women.”

The OECD unites countries committed to democracy and a market economy. Switzerland is also a member of the OECD. In addition to major economies such as Germany, the USA, and Japan, emerging economies such as Mexico and Chile are also members. A total of 38 countries belong to the OECD.

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