Washington Post (February 9)
“The big demographic trends shaping the world are mysterious and often overlooked.” The dramatic Arab Spring has largely overshadowed one of these. A flight from marriage has caused birth rates to drop precipitously. Over the past three decades, “twenty-two Muslim countries and territories had fertility declines of 50 percent or more. The sharpest drops were in Iran, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Libya, Albania, Qatar and Kuwait, which all recorded declines of 60 percent or more.” The current youth bulge in many Arab societies will quickly give way to the graying society characteristic of Japan and Europe.
Tags: Arab, Demographic trends, Europe, Fertility, Graying society, Japan, Marriage, Muslim countries, Youth bulge
