In 2023 the State of Minnesota had 61,715 children born in the state. This was a decline from the peak of 73,735 births in 2007. “The pattern of declining births is consistent across racial and ethnic groups, and it’s visible everywhere from the state’s urban core to its rural corners.”[1]
“More women [in the state] are also choosing not to get pregnant, at least for now, because they are anxious about costs, access to child care, and the political and environmental futures in which they would raise children, said Kathrine Simon, an Allina Health midwife. Moreover, “births among Minnesotans (women] 15 to 19 have fallen 33% since 2016 — a hard-won outcome following public health campaigns to convince teens that unplanned pregnancies can hurt their futures. But births also are declining among women 20 to 34, despite a generational uptick in young adults in their childbearing years.”
Over the next decade, this “decline will accelerate . . . when millennials exit that age range and the smaller Generation Z enters it, said Susan Brower, Minnesota’s state demographer. “That’s going to have kind of echo effects into the future.”
This decline “has already had an impact, forcing some small hospitals to close their delivery units, and will eventually hit Minnesota in its pocketbook,” Brower said.
“Over time, fewer children will result in fewer workers — from doctors to farmers to bankers to builders. That will mean fewer people making Target runs, buying Vikings tickets and paying taxes to keep up Minnesota’s infrastructure. . . . Eventually, and it’s already happening, we won’t be able to find people to do some of these essential services … to keep our economy and our society going.”
“Eventually, and it’s already happening, we won’t be able to find people to do some of these essential services … to keep our economy and our society going.”
“International immigration has sustained growth in Minnesota’s population and employment base for decades. The Hmong population that started with refugees fleeing Southeast Asia in the late 20th century has tripled in Minnesota since 2000. If not for immigrants who started new families in Minnesota, the state’s decline in births would be sharper, Brower said.”
Conclusion
This blog already has commented on the aging and declining population in the U.S. and many other countries in the world and the many problems that creates for those countries. Encouraging the immigration of people from other countries, including medical doctors and other medical personnel, is one way to counter these negative effects. [2]
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[1] Olson, Reversing Minnesota’s declining birthrate is costly—and controversial, StarTribune (Nov. 9, 2024).
[2] E.g., Support for Immigration from Nicholas Eberstadt and George Will, dwkcommentaries.com. (Oct.23, 2024).
