Birth rates have been steadily declining in many Asian countries -- a trend some are attributing partly to rapid industrialization and urbanization.
"Modernization, urbanization and industrialization have seen a collapse in birth rates far more sudden than in the West, and there is scant sign that the few modest measures Asians have taken to reverse the decline have had any significant effect."
"Japan, with a fertility rate stuck at 1.3 births per woman, is on track to lose half its population by 2105. Other places are even worse off. Hong Kong, at 0.9 births per woman, is at the bottom of the world fertility league. Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea all have rates marginally lower than Japan, or the worst performers in southern Europe."
"High property prices (in Hong Kong) and high forced-savings rates (at least in Singapore) may also be a factor in some places but cannot account for the general trend in the region."
Read the full story: How Asians can have more babies
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