How Millennials, Gen Z Are Contributing to Lower Birth Rates Around the World

Life and Trends Reporter

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With fewer people choosing the traditional route of tying the knot and starting a family, it's no secret that the number of marriages and births is declining around the world. As a result, the fertility rate in the U.S. alone is at a historic low of 1.7 births per woman—lower than the 2.1 births needed to maintain a stable population.

Many countries are trying to tackle this by incentivizing couples to have children, but it seems the problem runs deeper—there's been a dramatic uptick in people refraining from relationships altogether and choosing to remain single instead. In 2023, the number of single-person households in the U.S. peaked at 38.1 million, a record high at the time. Additionally, data from Pew Research Center revealed that 42 percent of adults were unpartnered in 2023, with women more likely than men to be single. In 2024, the number of single-person households rose to 38.5 million—29 percent of all U.S. households. For comparison, in 1974, one-person households represented just 19 percent of all households.

FEA01_SINGLES_01 — Monalyn Gracia/Corbis/VCG/Getty

What's causing this burgeoning singles movement? Robert VerBruggen, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and research fellow with the Institute for Family Studies, told Newsweek that, simply put, "single life has become more feasible and attractive" to younger generations.

FEA01_SINGLES_02 — Some individuals say animals ease their loneliness and provide all the companionship they need. SolStock/Getty

He believes this cultural shift is a result of people's options expanding, allowing millennials and Generation Zers to feel unafraid of following their own path, rather than the one they may feel has been set for them. Falling birth rates are a symptom of what's been dubbed the "relationship recession," leading to a singles pandemic.

Why Are People Staying Single?

One of the key reasons for the rise in singledom is how attractive it looks. Many view single people as the epitome of being young and carefree, and why should that be given up for marriage and children? "As marriage has been pushed later into life, our culture has glamorized the single life and made it unremarkable for people to be single for longer," VerBruggen, of Wisconsin, told Newsweek.

TV shows like Friends and Sex and the City sold millennials the cosmopolitan dream of being unwed and liberated. Young women wanted to be independent like Carrie Bradshaw (if not for her shoe collection), while men wanted to be more like lothario Joey Tribbiani than monogamist Ross Geller.

For a long time, marriage was regarded as an insurance policy for women as they relied on men for income and stability. Fast-forward to now and women are forging their own paths and providing for themselves.

"Women can be far more financially stable alone than was once the case. Even among married couples, the trade-offs associated with having kids shift when both partners have good job opportunities," VerBruggen continued.

"A rising standard of living and new technology contribute to the single life looking more attractive. Some men have fallen behind economically and even dropped out of the labor force, making them less attractive and marriageable in the eyes of potential wives."

Multiple studies over the past decade have shown that poor and working-class men in the U.S. are the least likely of any group to be married and the most likely to be single.

FEA01_SINGLES_05 — An empty playground in the Bronx, New York. At 1.7 births per woman, the U.S. is below the 2.1 replacement level, which will bring social and economic consequences. ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty

What Are the Drivers Behind the Singles Trend?

While technology and social media provide us with an expansive world at our fingertips, it can also close us off from the real one. Many researchers agree that it plays a pivotal role in people struggling to forge relationships in the modern world.

VerBruggen suggested that it has "broken young people's social lives" by changing how they interact. They don't need to go out and see friends to stay connected anymore. They stay in touch by sending memes and Instagram Reels—that's become the modern love language.

"Some of the clearest effects are in the dating market, where there's been an overwhelming shift toward meeting partners online. That can help people find better matches from a bigger pool, but it can also make them cynical about the seemingly endless options. That can't be good for relationships," VerBruggen told Newsweek.

Another factor is that young people face a delayed entry into adulthood, according to Kent Bausman, professor of sociology at Maryville University, Saint Louis. Graduates are lumbered with student debt and low wages and often move back in with their parents.

As a result, Bausman suggested people are delaying marriage because they're not moving into adulthood in their early 20s anymore. It takes longer for young people to find their feet in the world—and for many, a relationship is the last thing on their mind.

He told Newsweek: "The decision to remain single or delay romantic commitments isn't [just] an individual choice, but it's influenced by larger societal forces. Marriage has gone from a rite of passage to a capstone experience. Wages haven't grown or kept up with the cost of living, so with that financial vulnerability, marriage seems like a much bigger step which people are resisting.

FEA01_SINGLES_07 — A “Slow Dating Club” in Madrid. There are now more avenues than ever for people to find partners, but an expert says this is making us cynical. PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty

"Marriage has been pushed through economic restructuring and some of that is also pushing singlehood. Another thing that's pushing singlehood is the increased dependence on electronic devices, which causes this growing disconnectedness," Bausman continued. Ultimately, young people have reimagined what they perceive as a fulfilling life, and Bausman said the conventional dream of starting a family "no longer serves as the default path."

We've also witnessed a major swing toward female empowerment. Women's expectations have risen because the parameters of what they can achieve are far greater now. Whether it's climbing the career ladder or traveling the world, more women are taking control of their own lives. In fact, Bausman dubbed it "a Renaissance for women."

He said: "Women are more empowered, and it's now an expectation for them to have their own career. I think there's actually a stigma attached to homemaking as a career option now. Young girls can aspire to be whatever they want."

What Are the Ramifications of Low Birth Rates?

Fertility rates falling below the population replacement level of 2.1 births per woman leads to a shrinking populace. But this isn't just happening in the U. S.—the U.K. also recorded its lowest fertility rate in 2023, with 1.4 births per woman; Italy's has been called a "national emergency" with a current fertility rate of 1.1; and Spain reached its lowest birth rate since 1941 with 1.2 children per woman, according to the latest reports.

And it is not just in the West either. With 0.75 births per woman, South Korea has the world's lowest fertility rate. Japan's population has been declining for 15 years and there are concerns that in 695 years the country could be down to its last child. The Japanese Foreign Ministry warned that the country has until about 2030 before the trend is irreversible.

As for the birth rate in China, it steadily declined for seven years before a slight uptick in 2024. Despite that improvement, the country reported just 6.1 million marriages last year—a 20.5 percent drop from 2023—prompting calls to lower the legal marriage ages, currently set at 22 for men and 20 for women. But what are the long-term effects of having a large number of single people?

FEA01_SINGLES_11 — This frame grab from AFPTV video taken on November 8, 2023, shows researchers checking frozen eggs at a fertility research lab of CHA Bundang Medical Center in Seongnam. As South Korea's birth rate hits fresh... YELIM LEE/AFPTV/AFP/Getty

Bausman explained that it can lead to "significant strains" on the workforce, health care and social welfare systems. An aging population places extra demands on society as there are fewer workers in the labor force to support the number of retirees claiming state pensions.

"This also has implications for other areas of social support. Later marriages and fewer children may contribute to increased social isolation as family support networks shrink," Bausman said. "Delayed childbirth and lower fertility rates contribute to smaller families, potentially weakening intergenerational support, and reshaping expectations of caregiving. Consequently, we're witnessing a resurgence of multigenerational households, the likes of which the U.S. hasn't seen since the 19th century."

This could also have significant implications on the housing market, says Richard Fry, economist for Pew Research Center. With a rise in single people, there is a greater requirement for housing, as well as changing the type of units that are desired. "Single households are not as affluent as partnered households," Fry told Newsweek. "They tend to have less income and less wealth. So singles cannot afford the housing amenities that partnered households can."

Can Anything Be Done to Overturn Declining Birth Rates?

For now, it seems that sociologists, economists and researchers are divided on what can be done to potentially reverse declining birth rates. The United Nations highlighted that 62 percent of countries with fertility rates below replacement level have adopted policies aimed at increasing the number of births. These include baby bonuses, family allowances, improved parental leave, tax incentives and flexible work schedules. Senators in the U.S. have proposed subsidizing the cost of IVF for federal employees, monthly payments to families with children and covering child care costs.

However, the Cato Institute suggested that countries who have implemented policies have only seen minor improvements to birth rates. And Bausman doesn't believe that direct payments to new families are the solution. Instead, he thinks the biggest incentive would be to address the financial barriers associated with starting a family.

FEA01_SINGLES_12 — Many people are putting off pregnancy until later than before. Natalie McComas/Getty

"The more persuasive evidence is that if we alleviate the perceived and real costs associated with family formation, there is a strong chance to stabilize the decline," Bausman told Newsweek.

As for VerBruggen, he takes a different view. He suggested we need "a cultural shift in favor of having children." He believes this would be more affordable for governments because it doesn't involve costly policies, although moving the dial of public perception would be challenging.

"It's basically saying everyone should change their behavior to eliminate the problem," VerBruggen said. "Simply put, the future of society depends on us having children. In the near term, we miss out on the fundamental human experience of raising kids. In the long term, societies will shrink and ultimately fail."