Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What China's Collapsing Birth Rate Tells Us [View all]Zeitghost
(3,933 posts)61. Germany has major issues
Last edited Thu Mar 2, 2023, 01:39 PM - Edit history (1)
The first is demographics. It is quickly aging and does not have the working population to support retirees long term. Immigration can help, but the demographic pyramid is already inverted in Germany and there are not enough young and mature workers to support the rapidly growing number of elderly. https://www.populationpyramid.net/germany/2021/
The second is energy. The German manufacturing model is based on cheap energy from Russia and highly skilled value added workers. The cheap energy from Russia is gone and the workers are retiring.
It will be a mess by the end of the decade (faster if the Ukraine situation is not resolved).
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
64 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Dr. Herman Daly and Hazel Henderson were two voices for a steady-state economic system
yonder
Mar 2023
#54
Correct to some degree on all, counts, except for the mess by the end of the decade.
DFW
Mar 2023
#64
No. China is very rapidly going to shift to an aging population with no chance of in-migration. nt
Bernardo de La Paz
Mar 2023
#46
Absoultely incorrect. Children here in China are expensive, the cost of childbirth is solely on the
AZLD4Candidate
Mar 2023
#49
So if Xi were to order people to have more kids... everyone would ignore it. OK.
WarGamer
Mar 2023
#55
Actually, yes. But don't let my living here since 2008 except for two years minimized your
AZLD4Candidate
Mar 2023
#56
Won't happen here. Abortion services are advertised on bus side ads here.
AZLD4Candidate
Mar 2023
#50
While the Chinese decree to cut the birth rate was very effective (too effective, apparently)...
Silent3
Mar 2023
#17
I'll grant you that you have more personal insight into this than I can have...
Silent3
Mar 2023
#26
China, Korea, Japan all have very low birth rates right now, well below replacement rate
Silent3
Mar 2023
#20
Also, climate change is scaring the crap out of young people, as well it should.
Sky Jewels
Mar 2023
#24
I kind of feel like the relationship between affluence and fertility is shaped like a U.
StevieM
Mar 2023
#28
I think these days even wealthy people aren't strongly driven raise large numbers of children
Silent3
Mar 2023
#34
Also several generations were raised on propaganda that it was immoral to have more than one child
meadowlander
Mar 2023
#58
Right now, most countries in the world have below replacement birth rates.
PoindexterOglethorpe
Mar 2023
#30
I had seen this. But here's the thing - birthrates in a lot of countries are going down.
PatrickforB
Mar 2023
#35
As expensive as it is to have a child in China, it's more expensive in Korea
AZLD4Candidate
Mar 2023
#52
I've been hearing a lot about this not only with China, but other countries too.
XorXor
Mar 2023
#51