Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

did you actually watch it?

Yes.

many of the checks on population growth are generally considered bad things - war, famine, disease

The countries with the lowest population growth (e.g., Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Japan) are among those with the least war, famine, and disease. Something else is going on.



There were many other reasons listed, including low immigration, small families, contraception/abortion, abstinence and pollution.

This checks do apply do the countries you cited, but the list is still far from comprehensive. They are far better than war, famine and disease, but still regarded as bad things, which is the point.


The dominant source of low birthrates in rich countries is people choosing to have smaller families.


Do you notice that the countries with the lowest population growth were severely battered in wars during the last century?


Italian birthrates aren't low because of Il Duce. Once people reach a certain level of wealth, they voluntarily stop having lots of kids.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: