What if we stopped having children?

What if we stopped having children?

June 27, 2026

By Lise Loumé THE Subscribers

Behind this pessimistic scenario fueled by a global decline in fertility, demographers are sketching a more nuanced reality: that of a humanity still carried by its inertia and its youth.

decline in the fertility rate

The decline in fertility rates is observed particularly in East Asia.

Pixabay

This item is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°953-954, dated July-August 2026.

“Humanity would become extinct within about a hundred years,” replies demographer Gilles Pison, advisor to the management of the National Institute for Demographic Studies (Ined). Meanwhile, the population would age inexorably, until it consisted only of elderly people. However, this extreme scenario remains very far removed from current dynamics.

Fertility Children

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