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By 2050, the world is expected to house nearly 10 billion people, prompting concerns over

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lack of natural resources, increased global temperatures, and food shortages.

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It's not unusual to hear about the threat of the rapidly growing global population.

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On average, each country is seeing their population grow by about 1.25% per year.

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But a number of countries have the opposite problem, a population that is rapidly decreasing,

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giving way to its own set of challenges.

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So which countries have shrinking populations?

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Although the reasons for a shrinking population vary, the consequences are almost always the

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same.

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Fewer people leads to a smaller workforce, slowing economic development, and a massive

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public debt.

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Well, the worst cases of population decline can be found in Eastern Europe, where many

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countries will see their population drop by more than 15% over the next three decades.

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The most extreme case is Bulgaria, where the population is expected to be roughly 30% smaller

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by 2060.

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That translates to 164 fewer people per day, or 60,000 per year.

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Not far behind Bulgaria is Moldova, which loses just over 1% of its population annually

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and has a death rate akin to war-torn countries in Africa.

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Over the last three decades, the populations of these and other Eastern European countries

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have plummeted for almost identical reasons.

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With the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent economic collapse, many Bulgarians and Moldovans

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were left financially insecure and thus hesitant to have children.

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Although the fertility rate in both countries has improved somewhat since then, it's still

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relatively low, at roughly 1.4 births per woman.

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In comparison, the global average is 2.5 births per woman, and roughly 2.1 is needed to maintain

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their populations.

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Today, the biggest threats to Bulgaria and Moldova's populations are emigration and

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a large proportion of elderly residents.

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Both countries also suffer from brain drain when skilled and educated citizens leave in

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search of better opportunities.

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In Bulgaria, it's estimated that 20 percent of college students study abroad, and of those,

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roughly 80 percent stay abroad.

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The governments of Bulgaria and Moldova have launched aggressive campaigns to combat population

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decline, which include financial incentives for having more children and job opportunities

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to lure back expats.

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However, nothing thus far has been very successful.

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But perhaps surprisingly, the country facing the greatest threat is Japan.

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According to a government report, Japan's population is expected to cut in half over

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the next 66 years, primarily due to its low birth rate.

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Experts say the problem is one of economics.

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Cost of living is high, especially in cities where more and more Japanese are living.

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What's more, people of childbearing age are working long hours, leaving them little

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time to raise a child.

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The problem has gotten so dire, the Japanese government allocated nearly $30 million to

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lifting birth rates.

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This is in addition to a number of work-life balance policies that foster shorter hours,

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telecommuting and parental leave.

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The government even funds matchmakers, dating services and singles parties in the hopes

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that young people will marry and eventually have babies.

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In Japan, as well as Eastern Europe, public officials are already preparing for an economic

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fallout.

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The bottom line is, fewer people in a country means there are fewer people spending money,

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working and paying taxes.

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We can't do videos like this without help from our sponsors.

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Squarespace, you should.

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Japan's population crisis is sparking a social phenomenon known as hikikomori.

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To learn more about why Japanese youth are checking out a society, watch our video here.

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Additionally, most Japanese youths are expected to provide for their families, putting tremendous

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stress and pressure on them to succeed.

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The weak economy also puts a strain on relationships, as many Japanese women refuse to date unemployed

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men, considering them weak and effeminate.

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Thank you for watching TestTube News, please don't forget to like and subscribe for new

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videos every day.

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