Current Demographic Trends Induced by Changing Fertility Patterns in Europe and the United States

Abstract

Nowadays, countries of the European Union are facing a rapid decline in their fertility indicators. This factor, combined with ageing of societies, stimulates a need to redefine the demography, as well as answer key questions regarding the inflow of immigrants. This paper aims to ascertain the influence of various ethnic groups on European demography and the contemporary trends by using a set of economic, social, and financial variables. Utilizing data from OECD and Eurostat reports, as well as case studies of France and the US, the authors proceed to analyze the current demographic tendencies in order to find out whether immigrants and their offspring in France or the US might tend to be much more fertile than the countries’ native citizens. This turns out to be a major ethnic difference, which may have a significant impact on the demography of Europe as a whole.