What will happen in Europe?
Written by Alfonso Elizondo
Created on Friday, July 1, 2016,18:11
Views: 1898
According to an article in the British newspaper The Telegraph, published on July 1 this year, Europe is slowly dying even though there is an increase in the global population as a whole. According to data for 2012 published by the World Bank, the birth rate in the West is much lower than in Asia and Africa, as can be seen in the following graph:
Although the rate of world population growth is 1.2%, according to United Nations data, when the data for 2010 to 2012 was reviewed the West showed lower growth rates, below 10%, and birth rates much lower than those of developing countries.
In August 2015, analysts Suzanne Daley and Nicholas Kulish, writing in the New York Times, reported that low birth rates were directly related to the current economic crisis and high unemployment. According to them, ‘the most recent studies show that high unemployment – in excess of 50% among youths – in countries like Greece, Italy and Spain are discouraging young people from marrying and having a family.’
Global Population Growth (%)
According to the CIA, this decline in birth rates in some parts of the world is affecting society and politics, and so countries with young populations – a high percentage under age 15 – need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations – a high percentage over age 65 – need to invest more in the health sector.
The CIA also notes that the age structure can be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, one can imagine that the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find jobs could conceivably motivate investors to create new businesses.
For now, Europe’s hope for population growth is in the hands of younger immigrants seeking to improve their standard of living and that of their families. Data from the graphs above come from the World Bank and the percentage changes come from numbers published by the World Bank and the CIA Factbook.
Addendum: Although a summary of all the demographic data and the birth rates worldwide could lead to finding the solution to the current immigration crisis in Europe and facilitate planning for economic and political development throughout the Western world, the fact is that the real picture is not only one of fragmentation in both Europe and the Greater Middle East, but the disparity in the growth rates of African countries, the Islamic world and major European countries is so great that a kind of apocalypse is envisaged for white European ethnic groups which, in a few years, will be displaced by Africans, by mixtures of different ethnic groups from Islamic nations and by the group of Arab countries.