There are two limiting factors to population growth that will see populations in developed countries decline; women’s empowerment, and plastics in the environment.

When women are empowered and have jobs outside the house they elect to have fewer children. Unless we create a world where women do not work, we will see significant population decline especially in dense cities where it is difficult to raise children. China is a good example as even as they have encouraged women to have more children, they simply are not doing so based on economic reasons.

Secondly, plastics in the environment are causing all male animals to have decreased sperm counts, decreased testosterone, and in females increased infertility. This is not talked about much now, but has the potential to be a huge limiter on population. We need to start regulating plastics in food production immediately.

All estimates have populations in developed countries declining substantially in the next 20 years, and China in particular. There are feedback mechanisms. They are not ‘natural’ but social and economic. As countries become more ‘developed’ from a capitalist point of view, there are huge stressors on women and families to limit family size.