Falling fertility rates reshaping outlook around the world

Countries from Asia to Europe look to various methods to adapt to changing demographics

People throughout Europe can undoubtedly recall a giant inflatable baby wearing a slogan T-shirt floating around. The 7-meter-high mascot has been in London, Glasgow and countless other locations as part of a global campaign by Population Matters, a UK-based charity that addresses the problem of overpopulation.

On their website, a big screen is used to show the current total world population growing with every second. "Our population has become so large that the Earth is struggling to cope. Right now, we are still adding more than 80 million people a year," the group states below the growing number of more than 7.9 billion.

It is true that the world population is still growing, however, the problem that the majority of the world is concerned about is the total opposite: declining birthrates in both developing and developed countries.