Äike
10-07-2010, 12:37 PM
A Small Nation's Most Important Resource Continues to Shrink (http://news.err.ee/economy/e1fba7a6-89ad-4a7b-bbaf-1fd6395ee2c0)
http://ext.err.ee/imgen2.aspx?mode=25&id=e1fba7a6-89ad-4a7b-bbaf-1fd6395ee2c0
Photo: Postimees/Scanpix
The decade’s rising birth rate has only managed to slow and not halt the dwindling number of Estonians, said population studies expert Allan Puur.
For the population to remain stable, the number of children per mother needs to be an average 2.06 to 2.07. Last year, there were only 1.63 children born per woman. In other words, the number of births would need to be one-fifth higher, if the population is to stay at its current level, wrote Postimees.
The estimates are somewhat exaggerated as women have begun postponing childbearing. But even when that is taken into account, steadying the downward trend would require at least 10 percent more children.
The UN predicts that by 2050, Estonia’s population will fall to 1,233,000 – which is 100,000 people fewer than there are now.
http://ext.err.ee/imgen2.aspx?mode=25&id=e1fba7a6-89ad-4a7b-bbaf-1fd6395ee2c0
Photo: Postimees/Scanpix
The decade’s rising birth rate has only managed to slow and not halt the dwindling number of Estonians, said population studies expert Allan Puur.
For the population to remain stable, the number of children per mother needs to be an average 2.06 to 2.07. Last year, there were only 1.63 children born per woman. In other words, the number of births would need to be one-fifth higher, if the population is to stay at its current level, wrote Postimees.
The estimates are somewhat exaggerated as women have begun postponing childbearing. But even when that is taken into account, steadying the downward trend would require at least 10 percent more children.
The UN predicts that by 2050, Estonia’s population will fall to 1,233,000 – which is 100,000 people fewer than there are now.