The United States could have a population problem. It is experiencing a quickly aging society and Millennial women's all-time slowest birth rate among young American generations. The situation could imply that the country is headed down the same path as Japan.
From 2007 to 2012, the birth rate among American women in their 20s dropped 15 percent. This was the first time in three decades that birth rates had a sudden change.
In 2012 the birth rate of American women in their 20s would result in 948 births per 1,000 women. That is a record low among young generations, according to MTV.
The drop in birth rates included all races and ethnicities in the U.S. However a major cause of the decrease was that fewer single African-American and Latino women are having children.
Nan Marie Astone, senior fellow at the Urban Institute, says that the trend is a "matter of concern," according to WTSP. Such low birth rates could negatively affect the "future" of the U.S.
The low birth rates could affect various industries. For example, pharmaceutical companies would make fewer vaccines and schools would have fewer classes.
Still, Millennial women might choose to have children when they start their 30s. That is particularly true if the economy improves significantly as that happens.
Lower birth rates among single women could actually create some positive results. For example, they would have a better chance to work outside their homes.
The Urban Institute explains that older parents provide their children with certain "non-financial" resources. But it is still "in question" whether poor people in their 20s will start families.