In 4 years, 2029, UK deaths will exceed births!

[TheMintCritic]

Just came across this and thought it was wild… according to the ONS, by 2029 the number of deaths in the UK is expected to outnumber the number of births for the first time in decades.

• Our fertility rate is only about 1.5 kids per woman, well below replacement.
• Meanwhile, the population is ageing — all those baby boomers are moving into their 70s and 80s.
• The result? The natural population growth turns negative, meaning any population increase will rely entirely on immigration.

It’s crazy to think that in just 4 years, births won’t even keep up with deaths. Makes you wonder what that’ll mean for schools, NHS, pensions, and housing.

I can well believe it, I was heckled for being 15/16 and pregnant and then 17 with a 1 year old I can imagine those types of people hate big families too and let's face it these days a big family is anything over three kids.
I met a lady with 4 kids recently and that surprised me.

I haven't made plans at all, but old age provision here isn't much different to what it is in the UK. I was merely pointing out that no-one in the UK will be paying for my future care and that I won't be selling a house to pay for anything.

It IS a choice and not everybody cares if our species becomes extinct, this planet would certainly be better off for it.

It's not just the UK as has been pointed out. China especially. This just popped up on my social media
.

https://sc.mp/exsuh

What exactly can a government do about a declining birthrate?
If you feel as a young adult unable to provide comfortably for even just yourself, housing, job security, climate change, security of your country, nursery fees, even just finding a suitable mate during your most fertile years, it is irresponsible to bring a baby, which grows into a child, then a teen and eventually an adult into that situation.

It's a good thing that young adults are taking these things into consideration. The young adults and teens today are the first in a few generations, on average, who are going to have a lower standard of living than previous generations.

Would older people have made the same reproductive decisions if they were in the position that young adults are in now? There is an increase in older adults bemoaning that they might not become grandparents, well that's for them to build a bridge and get over.

Will our teens have children? I have no idea, it's most definitely not the guarantee it was, and whatever the decision it's fuck all to do with us.

Over the past 30 years the desire for house prices to increase, the desire for cheap food and cheaper goods from overseas, online shopping and takeaway food deliveries over eating out, the closing of local entertainment venues, online dating options, the influence of social media to what desirable is with bodies, houses, cars, status, it was bound to eventually collapse. And we are seeing the start of this now, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

And as for who pays our pensions in the future, we are, we will be funding our own retirements if you want anything more that subsistence. We have been told this for at least 2 and a half decades, claiming you didn't realise is on you not anyone else. And our teens can see this. Everything our teens desire they will have to pay ten-fold more than the generation above us, how on earth can you calculate having children with all that?

When I was in my late 20s / early 30s and knew lots of people with young children, all anyone seemed to do was complain about how awful it was. Then there was the social media messaging. I really believed at that age that having kids would be terrible and would ruin my life. I had had quite an unhappy life until that point and wasn't ready for more unhappiness. Nobody ever said it's fun, or you'll love it. I can see your point that it is an irreversible decision for life, almost as big a decision as having kids. Now it can be quite sad seeing people with their adult or older children and knowing that will never be us.

If we are seriously considering having a UBI, surely having a low birthrate is a good thing?

What exactly can a government do about a declining birthrate?

Depends what sort of government.

You could:

• make it illegal for women to work - removing a lot of "excuses" for not having children (also boosts jobs for menz).
• Ban abortion
• Provide incentives for more children - £10,000 per birth for example
• Make it illegal to emigrate.
• Provide mass nurseries for infants, to ensure they receive an appropriate early years education.

I mean obviously you'd have to get rid of human rights first, so they are never going to happen. I mean what fucking idiot would ever vote for that. ?

Well no one can’t afford to have kids anymore. I blame on high taxes and high cost of living. Then the only people who have them may be should not as they can’t also afford them but are not educated to realise and most are careless on the numbers they can have.

Yes I think you're right, and it terrifies me

Killing off the frail and elderly, dressed up as compassion and autonomy

Because the West is having less kids but the countries where immigrants come is a different story.

I agree about incentivising births, but we should be incentivising the right people. One of the problems with the welfare system is that it encourages some of the worst people in society to reproduce. Violent, ignorant, anti-social people generally produce violent, ignorant, anti-social children. Personally, I’d like to see educated, skilled, hard-working, law-abiding people incentivised. We should offer money to people to have kids, but only on condition they have a clean criminal record and have never been convicted of child abuse or child neglect.

I’d offer Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley anything they want to have 20 kids together!

I agree about incentivising births, but we should be incentivising the white right people.

looks like your political correctness filter kicked in.

We've always done it. fair play for honesty.

I know, I know. Here I am, watching my cholesterol and taking up Tai Chi simply to buy time.

I blame myself. Sorry.

This.

I think assisted dying is compassionate.

I only recently found out that in China children’s funding for schooling is dependent on parents registered canton. So if you move for work your child can’t just go to a school in the new area, they are often left at home with relatives and parents move and send money back. It’s something not mentioned in the article and I wonder how a lack of mobility for families impacts school enrolment figures.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738059318301913

China now resorts to taxing condoms and birth control

Good. Our world is toxic, polluted, our actions are in effect a wildlife genocide and I think we’re seeing more and more diagnoses of various conditions as overpopulation moves us further and further from the natural world.

It won't be that crass or obvious but it might make life for those without extensive family support very difficult and uncomfortable towards the end. That in itself is terrifying. I am an only child and preparing myself mentally for the support I will have to provide my parents when they hit their 80s and hopefully beyond.
There's already a host of conditions that are not tested for beyond a certain age.

@StandFirm but that is precisely why someone might choose an assisted death - so as not to put their only child through the hell of watching them (and having to look after them single handedly) as they deteriorate into an awful, undignified, long drawn out death.

Same situation here and god only knows what will happen to those of us with no children or younger generation to look out for us in old age. I hope I don't make it to be honest.

My point is that I want them to stick around and I would never want them to be considered selfish for hanging on to life. I respect people who adopt the stance you describe, but the idea that assisted dying might ultimately be considered more virtuous by society makes me feel deeply uncomfortable.