If children are a blessing, the Earth could be cursed. After decades of concern over population growth, fertility is in decline, heralding a new era of shrinking, ageing demographics in almost every region of the world. 

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is a measure of the number of births per woman. To account for infant mortality and replacing both parents, each needs to have an average of 2.1 births for population to remain stable. Yet a recent wide-ranging study published in The Lancet suggests only six countries will achieve that figure by the end of the century. 

The issue poses huge economic and social challenges for the world. Read on to discover how different countries are trying to tackle it.

All dollar amounts in US dollars.