We're nearing 'peak population.' These economists are worried.
July 1, 2025
9 min
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49 of 300
July 1, 2025
We're nearing 'peak population.' These economists are worried.
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9:06This episodeWe're nearing 'peak population.' These economists are worried.
Summary
Over the past century, the world's human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradually declined. And if that trend continues as it has, we may soon see a crash in the population rate, which some argue could have disastrous effects.<br /><br />Today on the show, we talk to co-authors Michael Geruso and Dean Spears about their forthcoming book <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/After-the-Spike/Dean-Spears/9781668057339" target="_blank"><em>After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People</em></a><em>. </em>Together, they explain why you should care about declining fertility rates.<br /><br /><strong>Related episodes:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/06/27/1254874806/climate-change-anthropic-ai-llm-bond-market-san-francisco" target="_blank">Babies v climate change; AI v IP; bonds v world</a><br /><br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>.<br /><br />Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>. </em><br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
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