The United States barely keeps pace with the population replacement rate already. Europe and Asia have been behind the replacement curves for decades already.
The population replacement rate, the fertility rate needed to maintain a society’s population size, is 2.1 children per woman. Countries with fertilities rates below this number may experience an overall older demographic and a decrease in population size over time.
World Population Review
COVID-19 and the collapse of economies all over the world caused people to postpone or decide against starting families.
The Brookings Institution estimated in December that, as a result of the pandemic, 300,000 fewer babies would be born in the U.S. in 2021 compared with last year. That estimate is based on survey evidence and the historical experience that a one-percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate reduces the birthrate by roughly 1%.
Wall Street Journal
Personally, my belief is this may happen less because of economics and more because of COVID-19 hysteria among those younger than 35. This group of people is of prime childbearing age and I think they are so worried about catching SARS-CoV-2 and/or transmitting it that they are not having sex. When I walk around and see young people walking by themselves, with no one near them, masked up I know they have shut their brains off.
Millennials, in particular, have been conditioned to follow the rules and not question authority. They may even be having sex with masks on as was recommended by some nut job “scientists”.
Maybe it’s for the best. Do we want these week kneed people procreating and teaching a new generation?