America’s birth rate hit a record low in 2018. Then it hit another record low in 2019. And then again in 2020.

Today, America’s birth rate is 1.64 children per woman, a number well below what’s called the “replacement-level fertility.” It may sound boring, or uninteresting, but some economists and demographers say it could be one of the defining issues of the future — with dire consequences. If we have an aging, shrinking population, who will take care of the elderly? Who will consume new goods or buy up homes and stocks? Who will contribute taxes to maintain a ballooning government budget and programs like Medicare and Social Security?

For a long time, the common wisdom was that a declining birth rate — especially one slowing down as fast as it is in America and globally — would have negative consequences for all of us. But recently, a debate has emerged, with one side insisting that we are overreacting, and another side continuously sounding the alarm that we must do something now to increase America’s birth rate.

In today’s subscribers-only Tangle, we’re going to examine these arguments — and some proposed solutions — to try to get to the bottom of it. It’s a Friday edition for subscribers only, being released at 12 pm EST.

To subscribe and receive it, click here.

If you’re not ready to make the jump, or this topic isn’t of interest — no worries. You can keep reading Tangle for free Monday-Thursday (and we’ll see you on Monday).

Thanks for reading!

Best,

Isaac & the Tangle team