636. Why Aren’t We Having More Babies?
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For decades, the great fear was overpopulation. Now it’s the opposite. How did this happen — and what’s being done about it? (Part one of a three-part series), “Cradle to Grave.”)

• SOURCES:

• Matthias Doepke), professor of economics at the London School of Economics.

• Amy Froide), professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

• Diana Laird), professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco.

• Catherine Pakaluk), professor of economics at The Catholic University of America.

• RESOURCES:

• "Fertility Rate, Total for the United States)," (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2025).

• "Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021)," *(The Lancet, *2024).

• "Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed)." by Greg Ip and Janet Adamy (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).

• "Taxing bachelors and proposing marriage lotteries – how superpowers addressed declining birthrates in the past)," by Amy Froide (University of Maryland, 2021).

• "Is Fertility a Leading Economic Indicator?)" by Kasey Buckles, Daniel Hungerman, and Steven Lugauer (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2018).

• The King's Midwife: A History and Mystery of Madame du Coudray)*, *by Nina Rattner Gelbart (1999).

• The Population Bomb)*, *by Paul Ehrlich (1970).

• "An Economic Analysis of Fertility)," by Gary Becker (National Bureau of Economic Research, 1960).

• EXTRAS:

• "What Will Be the Consequences of the Latest Prenatal-Testing Technologies?)" by *Freakonomics Radio *(2011).