Earlier this week, the National Center for Health Statistics published data indicating the birth rate in the United States is the lowest it has been since 1979 and the general fertility rate is the lowest it has been since they began collecting data in 1909. In 2023 there were 3.5 million births, about 100,000 more than in 1979. The fertility rate dropped to 54.5 births per 1,000 women. While this is and should be concerning, it is not unique to America. The trend towards smaller families started decades a go, and is equally dramatic in other parts of the world. In China, there were 9.4 million births in 2024, the second-lowest in the nation’s history. This despite the one-child policy that governed reproduction in China for over a decade and the recent reversal of that policy by Beijing when it announced a new official government directive to women to have more babies.
The mere suggestion to have babies and therefore, grow the population from within is in sharp contrast to policies in the United States, Canada and most developed nations. While having more babies is certainly a legitimate policy consideration, in these countries, they don’t want more babies, they want more immigrants.
In the United States, as costs to raise a family continue to climb, there is comparatively little employer or government based support for families with children. Among 41 OECD and EU countries, the United States is the only nation that does not have a national policy to support paid family leave. Many countries offer six months or more of paid leave for new mothers. Fathers are also eligible for paid leave in many countries, although according to UNICEF, few take advantage of the opportunity. Leave is not only for parents to raise new born children. Many countries extend this leave for other medical related reasons including to care for older children or elderly parents (Chzhen et al., 2019).
Having more Americans should be a priority. Economic pressures on families contributes to declining birthrates. This, combined with the lack of support for families means American population growth is unlikely to be accomplished through American woman having more babies. Unless there is a drastic shift in policy and in the culture, America needs more immigrants. America, Canada, and Australia are nations built on immigration. Unless you are a member of the indigenous population, you are very likely an immigrant or the descendant of an immigrant. Unfortunately, there has been a marked increase in anti-immigrant sentiment in many of the world’s wealthiest countries, including the United States.
Much of this sentiment is the result of failed government policies over the last 50 years to support families and to manage immigration. There is also a clear failure to enforce existing immigration laws. Despite the legitimate concerns about illegal immigration, the vast majority of immigrants living in the US are in the US legally. They have come to America for the same reasons most of our ancestors – to learn, earn, love, and live the American Dream.
In 1890, immigrants accounted for 14.8% of the American population. In 2024, 15.6%, or nearly 48 million of those living in the US are immigrants (Bieber et al., 2024). Serious efforts should be made to stop illegal immigration. This does not require new laws of a grand bargain between Republicans and Democrats. What is needed is legitimate enforcement of existing laws. This however, is not enough.
Immigrants are not to cause of America’s problems. That blame rests mostly with the political class. Rather than target those who, in most cases, are genuinely wanting the same opportunities our parents or grandparents sought, we should put our own house in order. American needs to provide better support for intact families so they remain intact. While having more babies is good, globalization and the rise of cross-border trade and travel only mean immigration will continue to increase. We need to enforce our laws and be welcoming to those who come from away. Instead of making them enemies, make them friends. Show them what is possible in America.
Do not be manipulated by the media that sensationalizes what is bad, or by politicians looking for a scapegoat for their own failures. Those who break our laws should be punished and should not be allowed to stay. For the vast majority of newcomers, make it easy to integrate into the local community and to assimilate into the culture. This way they develop a sense of belonging and a connection to the country. Most who come to America want what we already have, not by stealing it from us, but by earning it, the same way past generations have, including those related to us.
We can and should have more babies, but that doesn’t mean we should exclude others.
References
Bieber, C., Catalano, V., & Chatterjee, A. (2024, October 10). Immigration in america: Stats and facts. Forbes. Retrieved March 18 from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/immigration-law/immigration-stats-and-facts/
Chzhen, Y., Gromada, A., & Rees, G. (2019, June). Are the world’s richest countries family friendly? Policy in the oecd and eu. UNICEF. Retrieved March 18 from https://www.unicef.org/media/55696/file/Family-friendly%20policies%20research%202019.pdf