According to a recent report from the United Nations, the world population continues to grow. It is over 5 billion now. It could reach 8.4 billion in the year 2025.
But during the past 10 years or so, a large and rapid drop in the world's birth rate has taken place.Families generally are smaller now than they were a few years ago. It is happening in both developing and developed countries.
China is such a country that has already cut its rate of population growth by about one half since ! 970. Each Chinese family has no more than one child. And the hope is to reach a zero population growth rate by 2010.
Several countries in Europe already have a negative growth rate. Experts say that these countries could face a serious shortage of workers in the future. And the persons who are working could face much higher taxes to help support the growing number of retirees.