Infertility crisis is one of the emerging trends in the world. It is defined as the decline in fertility rates globally, leading to difficult conceptions. Italy, Japan, Germany and Western Europe have been classified in negative growth rate. They have more old homes than schools. These countries have more ageing and dependent population, causing economic issues.
Infertility crisis has resulted due to multiple reasons. Sperm counts have reduced all over the world because of sedentary lifestyles, smoking and long stressful working hours. Late marriages, especially of women after 25 years of age, reduce the chances of conception manifolds. In developed countries, the cost of raising children is going high. People cannot afford to have multiple children. Lastly, there is a cultural shift among people towards child-free lifestyles. This is the worst scenario for developed countries which have started incentivising people with rewards, maternity leaves and other multiple benefits.
In such a scenario, Pakistan, India and some sub-Saharan countries have huge importance, as fertility rate in such countries is above 3.5 while the replacement level is above 2.5. These countries must invest in their human resources whereby they can export human capital globally and reap monetary benefits.
Dr Iftikhar Ahmed Khoso
Jacobabad
