Former UK PM calls global falling birth rates “best news”

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged European governments not to interfere in birth rates or pursue policies aimed at increasing fertility, arguing that declining birth rates may be a positive global trend.

In a column for the Daily Mail, he wrote that lower birth rates should not be viewed as a crisis, but rather as a form of “self-regulation” of global population levels.

Johnson noted that many countries across Europe and Asia are experiencing declining birth rates, adding that in the United Kingdom deaths are expected to exceed births this year for the first time since the mid-1970s.

He also criticized political calls to increase birth rates, describing them as ineffective, and said the last thing needed is a stream of nonsense from politicians about needing more children.

Johnson further argued that demographic concerns are contradictory in the context of technological development, particularly artificial intelligence, suggesting that if AI replaces parts of the workforce, the need for population growth decreases.

He emphasized that decisions about having children should remain a personal choice rather than a matter of state policy, criticizing what he described as rhetoric reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.

Instead, he said governments should focus on economic development, infrastructure, and improving quality of life.

By Jeyhun Aghazada